Seduction
by Sivany
Summary: Draco returns to Hogwarts for his seventh year, knowing that his life is falling apart around him. Somehow he needs to find the strength to carry on but before he can do that he must acknowledge that some things need to change, including himself. Rated M for smut and swearing. COMPLETE
1. And So It Begins

**Title: **Seduction

**Disclaimer: **Draco is not mine, nor is his world, I'm just playing there for a while.

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Smut, some angst

**Summary:** Draco returns to Hogwarts for his seventh year, knowing that his life is falling apart around him. Somehow he needs to find the strength to carry on.

**Author's Notes: **I really hope someone enjoys this because I had a lot of fun writing it. I wanted to explore Draco's feelings and reactions to what happens in his seventh year a little more thoroughly than I did in 'Take Me There'. I also wanted to write some romance and some smut. This is what happened. The title of this particular chapter is a tribute to an old fic, sadly now deleted, that I absolutely loved. The story is partly based on a quote that I read somewhere, credited to Zoe Archer. I believe she is an author, although I've never read any of her work. Good quote though!

* * *

**Chapter 1: And So It Begins**

_There is always truth in seduction; that's why it works._

He was going back to Hogwarts.

This time last year he'd never have dreamed he would be here. He'd thought he was on his way to bigger and better things. So much for that notion. They'd certainly turned out to be bigger, but definitely not better.

Merlin, his life was fucked up.

Life had been akin one long torture session since he'd fled with Snape on that fateful night, knowing more clearly than ever that he could not, and never would be able to, kill.

The Dark Lord and Aunt Bella seemed to have permanently moved into Malfoy Manor and Draco wasn't sure which was worse. They were both as insane as each other. He just wished he'd realised it sooner. Maybe before he'd taken the mark, or before he'd nearly killed, or even perhaps before his father had been thrown into Azkaban.

His father was out now, but that was no consolation for anything. They weren't exactly prisoners in their own home, but they might as well have been, and Draco was more than a little relieved that he was able to escape to Hogwarts.

Not that this year would turn out to be much of an escape.

He was dreading the reactions from his friends and the Professors, and dreading even more the power plays that would surely be taking place in the Common Room. He would find himself dragged in against his will, and he suspected he wouldn't come out nearly as well as he had in the past.

It was lucky for him that Blaise, who cared about nothing and no one, had entered the compartment Draco had managed to find and had sat down as if nothing had changed.

It wasn't true of course, every thing had changed, but if Blaise was going to act normally, Draco was too. Blaise had a lot of influence amongst the Slytherins. Possibly even more than Draco was prepared to admit.

He cracked his eyes open just a little, regarding Blaise from across the compartment. Draco was curled up in one corner, his travelling cloak thrown over him like a blanket, trying to snatch a few hours of the precious sleep that was constantly denied to him at home. Blaise was opposite him, head buried in a book about Merlin, which he'd been engrossed in for most of the journey.

They hadn't exchanged much more than brief greetings when Blaise had arrived, but that was just fine with Draco. Blaise was here, demonstrating that despite everything he still valued his friendship with Draco.

It hurt Draco to admit how grateful he was for his presence, even to himself.

Sighing, he adjusted his cloak and closed his eyes again. At least here he knew he was safe, far away from the prying eyes of Bella and The Dark Lord. Here he was safe.

He let sleep claim him.

* * *

The Sorting was taking longer than usual.

There had been the usual motley band of bedraggled looking first years, but now McGonagall was escorting another group of older looking students into the Hall. For the first time Draco took interest in the proceedings, flicking his eyes over the group, who looked a lot surer of themselves than the first years had done.

"As you know certain regulations stating that all British students must attend Hogwarts have come into force," McGonagall was saying. She had shot a glare at Snape on the word _regulations,_ which Snape was obviously pretending he hadn't noticed. "As such we have some new students here. Some have attended other magical schools, whilst other have been home educated. I expect you to welcome each and every one of them no matter what House they are sorted into. We will begin with those joining second year, and work up from there. Now, Nadine Patterson, you will be first."

A small girl stepped up to the stool and the Sorting resumed. There were seven second years and five third years to be sorted, but the numbers trailed off after that. Two fourth years, no fifth years, three sixth years and only one seventh year. She stepped up to the stool in response to her name: Madeleine Cardon.

Draco shot a semi-curious look at the girl who would be in his year and felt his heart skip a beat. Merlin she was gorgeous.

Her hair was long and loose about her shoulders, the colour a deep rich brown with just a hint of red. Even at this distance Draco could see her eyes were a bright shade of blue. She was petite, curvy and her features had a curious intensity about them that seemed to capture his attention even as he tried to tear his eyes away.

"Bloody hell," he heard Blaise whisper behind him, "I hope she's in Slytherin."

Draco knew what he meant.

Unfortunately the hat, which fit her considerably better than it ever fit any of the first years, decided to put her in Gryffindor and Draco cursed under his breath.

"Figures," he heard Blaise mutter mutinously besides him, "What's the betting she's a mudblood too?"

Draco didn't bother to answer. He was too busy watching the girl being welcomed by that loser Longbottom. As he glared murderously at him, the girl glanced up and caught his eye. He was too startled to do anything and she looked away quickly, saying something to Longbottom that was clearly about him because the next moment they both looked up at him and Longbottom spoke again. No doubt filling her head with all his evil misdeeds and tales of what a terrible person he was.

Unable to tear his eyes away, despite the fact that Blaise was talking to him, Draco watched sullenly. The girl cast him another glance, more curiosity in her eyes than the disgust Draco had been expecting. He raised his eyebrows and the girl looked away, just before Blaise waved a hand in front of his eyes, recalling him to the table.

"Hope you're not thinking of trying anything, Draco?" he growled at him, after a quick glance in the direction he had been staring.

"What?" Draco snapped, not best pleased to have his idle wonderings interrupted.

"That girl. You're staring at her."

"What?" Draco snapped again, realising that his eyes had somehow wandered back over to her of their own accord and wrenching them back round to look at Blaise. "No I wasn't, I was just thinking that there seemed to be less Gryffindors than usual."

Blaise cast a glance over at the Gryffindor table and was forced to acknowledge the truth of the statement.

"Potter and his little gang are missing," he confirmed, "And that other boy. Thomas is it?"

Draco shrugged. He really couldn't have cared less. It had only been an excuse to get Blaise off his back and he really wasn't surprised to find that Potter was missing, though he did wonder exactly what him and his little friends were up to.

Still, it wasn't important. He forced his attention to the food in front of him and listened tried to give his full attention to questions about that year's Quidditch team tryouts which he was going to have to hold next week.

* * *

The tryouts had gone reasonably well. He'd found a few decent flyers amongst the dross that had mostly turned up, and unlike Marcus Flint had actually gone for skill rather than size in his players, who were mostly from the fifth year and below. Now they'd all gone, leaving him to the peace of the empty Quidditch pitch which he'd taken advantage of by doing some quick circuits, relishing the feeling of flying again after so much time without it.

Eventually though he landed, grabbed the trunk containing the Quidditch balls and carried it back into the changing rooms with him. He dumped it and his broomstick away in the storage area and went to use the showers, emerging with a towel wrapped round his waist and using a second to dry off his hair.

A noise in the room made him pause in the act and fling the towel to one side. Had he imagined it or was there someone in here? A figure came round the end of the lockers. A figure with rich brown hair, dressed in Gryffindor Quidditch robes.

"Hello."

Draco's breath caught in his throat and he hissed through his teeth, feeling his cheeks turn pink at the sight of her. He fought to stay in control of his reactions. He was not going to show her that he was embarrassed at her catching him in such a state of undress.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped, to try and get himself back on the right footing.

Unfortunately she seemed unconcerned with either his question, or his presence and was coming closer, until she was standing just a couple of feet away and looking at him thoughtfully with those bright blue eyes. Merlin, it felt like she was looking right through him.

Draco tried not to quail under her gaze. There was nothing he could do right now. He didn't even have his wand to hex her. He briefly considered just walking away, but wearing just a towel where would he go? He was definitely not about to start getting changed in front of her.

"Enjoying yourself?" he snapped as the girl rather obviously raked her eyes over his semi-naked form. She showed no sign of approval or disgust, he felt like she was simply looking at him as if she was an object she was evaluating for purchase.

"Yes thanks." Her lips curved into a smile and Draco could see a glint of mischievousness in her eyes. He wanted to squirm. Wanted to run away and hide from that penetrating blue stare. What the hell did she think she was playing at?

She took another step forwards and Draco automatically stepped backwards, wincing as he backed into the wall behind. There was nowhere else to go now if she came any closer. Which she did. Merlin, now she was so close he could even smell the faint scent of her shampoo.

"What are you doing?" It was taking all his effort to keep his voice under control. He absolutely could not believe this was happening. Of all the arrogant, presumptuous things to do! She obviously thought she was having some sort of effect on him and he was determined that she wouldn't, or at least that she wouldn't know she was.

The girl didn't reply. Instead she raised her hand till it was level with his chest, still looking him straight in the eyes. Draco felt himself tense. What was she planning? Slowly she moved her hand forwards until her fingers came into contact with his skin and then pressed her whole palm against his chest, looking at him as if to evaluate his reaction.

Draco hissed. Her touch was warm and soft and he cursed his out of control body, which had immediately started to react to the touch of a woman that he found incredibly attractive.

He froze and tried to look at a point over her head, determined not to give her the satisfaction of a response. He supposed he could push her away, but there was such a thing as good manners and she was still a girl, even if she was a filthy Gryffindor. He would have hexed her quite happily, but he drew the line at physically hurting her with his bare hands.

Unfortunately the girl didn't seem to be put off by his lack of reaction. To his horror she stood on tiptoe and brought her face up to his, until her lips were hovering just an inch from his. He couldn't move. Couldn't turn his head. His heart rate seemed to have doubled in the space of a few seconds and all he could do was look back into her eyes in complete confusion. She was going to kiss him! The treacherous part of his brain wished she would just get on with it.

The girl smirked, and then suddenly she was gone.

Before he could even recover his senses she was out the door and away onto the Quidditch pitch. Draco closed his eyes and lent his head back on the wall for support, trying to still his racing heart and trying desperately to stop the reactions she had set off all through his body.

Only when he felt that he was completely under control again did he eventually move. He changed quickly back into his school robes and spelled his hair dry. Then, compelled by treacherous curiosity, he opened the door, not to the grounds but back to the Quidditch pitch, and peeked around it, not wanting to be seen looking.

The girl was weaving in and out of the goal hoops at one end of the pitch and without thinking Draco found himself admiring her flying style. She looked graceful and effortless in the air. He also noticed with horror that she was riding a Firebolt. She was, unfortunately, the perfect build for a seeker, and Draco really hoped the Gryffindor team hadn't chosen her to replace Potter. He absolutely did not want her as his closest rival on the Quidditch pitch.

Quickly, before she could notice him, he closed the door and hurried away, back to the safety of the Slytherin Common Room.

* * *

That night in bed Draco found that he couldn't sleep. His thoughts were filled with that annoying Gryffindor brunette.

_Madeleine._

He did know her name. He'd just been pretending to himself that he didn't. And he'd pretended to Daphne as well when he'd casually asked her if she knew anything about the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It hadn't looked odd; after all, their first match was against Gryffindor.

_Chaser._

That was the position Madeleine was playing. The Weasley girl was taking over as Seeker.

Draco didn't know if he was annoyed or relieved by that revelation.

What the hell had she been playing at earlier? For a start she was a Gryffindor, so why on earth would she have wanted to touch him at all? He frowned. He was pretty sure her fellow Gryffindors would have brought her up to speed on everything terrible that he'd ever done to them, up to and including his involvement in Dumbledore's death last year.

Draco winced as he thought of that and rolled over again. Bloody Dumbledore! He'd long ago given up pretending to himself that he'd have ever killed the stupid old fool and that knowledge hung over his head in a giant cloud of 'what ifs'. He'd offered to help his family. If Snape hadn't come along and done away with him then who knows where they might all be now. Somewhere safe probably.

But no, stupid old fool had to go and get himself killed!

Now he was stuck here with some filthy little Gryffindor apparently trying to seduce him.

Or something anyway.

What the hell had she been doing?

And what the hell had he been doing letting her get close enough to kiss him?

_Almost _kiss him.

Damn it, why did part of his brain still insist that he'd wanted it?

And why had she been so arrogant as to assume he'd wanted it?

Draco rolled over and punched his pillow, cursing her for being so damn attractive. Those soft looking lips had been so close to his. So close. Just an inch more and he'd have been able to tell if she tasted as good as she smelt.

_Fuck._

He punched his pillow again and got out of bed.

If he carried on like this his body was going to seriously betray him. He grabbed his ancient runes homework and took himself down to the common room. Sleep was going to be even harder to come by tonight than it had been at home and he might as well get something useful done.

* * *

Draco tried to put Madeleine out of his mind over the next few days. The problem was she seemed to be in an annoying number of his lessons. Ancient Runes was the worst. She was the only Gryffindor in that class, and he the only Slytherin. She'd taken to sitting at the desk in front of him, giving him a ridiculous smirk as she slid into her seat at the start of each lesson.

Her nose was too upturned.

She was far too short.

Her cheekbones weren't defined enough.

She was absolutely not the most perfectly formed woman he'd ever seen.

_Absolutely not._

He felt like he was fighting a losing battle in his brain and he spent his potions lessons trying not to stare at her across the room. It was the same in Arithmancy. He'd eventually given up in Ancient Runes. He could see the profile of her features whenever she turned her head to listen to Professor Babbling waffle on about the different interpretations of various symbols. His eyes were draw to it without him even realising, and he'd never tried so hard to concentrate on his work in his life.

It was driving him crazy that apart from those smirks twice a week she was acting as if he didn't even exist.

As if she hadn't very nearly kissed him.

* * *

By the time two weeks had past and Draco found himself alone on the pitch after Quidditch practise his nerves were shattered. He did his usual bit of solo flying after the others had gone and then made his way back into the empty changing rooms.

"Hello, Draco."

It was her.

At least he was fully dressed this time.

He tensed as she came towards him, cursing the fact that he had left his wand in his school robes and he was once again pretty defenceless.

"What do you want?" he snapped as she came within touching distance.

"That's not very friendly is it?" she said, her lips forming that annoyingly attractive smirk.

Not attractive.

_Not attractive!_

She raised her hand and Draco found himself watching it warily, frozen to the spot. Where was she going to touch this time? She was reaching for his face, and then her fingers were sliding over his cheek, just as soft and warm as he remembered them. Caressing gently.

"You look like you need to get more sleep, Draco," she said quietly. Her voice was controlled. She might as well have been commenting on the weather.

Irritated Draco pushed her hand away.

"Don't touch me you filthy little Gryffindor," he snapped.

He would have felt better if Madeleine had reacted badly to that. If she had hurled an insult back at him he would have felt on safer ground, known how to proceed. But all she did was continue to look at him unflinchingly with those calm blue eyes.

She drew nearer. The hand that he'd pushed away had somehow come up to his chest. He felt her fingers curling around the material of his robes and he fought to suppress a shudder. Why was that in any way a turn on? His body was starting to betray him again.

Her lips were barely an inch from his. He tried to jerk his head backwards, but she followed, gripping his robes tighter as she rose onto tiptoe. Their bodies weren't touching. Not yet. But when their lips met he would finally get to feel her curves pressed against his chest.

She smirked, and then she was gone.

Draco reeled backwards, hearing the door behind him slam as Madeleine went out onto the Quidditch pitch. Damn it. she'd been so close. He cursed himself for allowing her that close again and cursed the fact that if she hadn't pulled away he would definitely have given in to her.

Enraged he grabbed his robes and stalked out the door. He was going to shower in the Prefects' bathroom today.

* * *

Draco sucked in a lungful of cold winter air as he skimmed over the lake. Much as he had to admit to himself that he hated the mark burned into his arm, it did have some advantages. Like the fact that no one was going to punish him for the technically against-the-rules flight around the grounds. The rule was there for student safety anyway and certainly nobody gave enough of a shit about his safety to bother punishing him for it.

He'd taken to doing this quite a lot lately. It was certainly better than sitting in the common room and facing the endless mindless chatter from Pansy. He'd dumped her last year, but the fact that he'd almost killed that silly old fool seemed to have enamoured him to her all over again. She'd clearly forgiven him for supposedly breaking her heart and was now trying to win him back. He didn't want her.

His eyes automatically flitted over to the Quidditch Pitch where seven red and gold blurs told him that the Gryffindor Quidditch practise was still going on.

She would be in there.

He cursed and tore his eyes away again, turning his broomstick towards the forest and pulling it upwards to soar gracefully over the trees. He had come here to get her off his mind, not to think about her even more.

Since that day in the changing room two weeks ago his nights had continued to be filled with tortuous imaginings of exactly how her lips would feel on his, exactly how good it would have been to have her body pressed against his. He hadn't needed to imagine the way her fingers would feel, his cheek still tingled every time he thought of it.

It was driving him crazy. He refused to give in to what his body was urging him to do and he couldn't remember when he'd last had a full night's sleep.

He thought he was going a little bit insane.

He continued his sweeps of the forest for a long time, until the setting sun made him look towards the Quidditch pitch again and note the line of Gryffindors making their way back to the castle. He swooped back down to the changing rooms, and caught a burr of red on the pitch as he did so. When he looked again though there was nothing there. He glanced over his shoulder. The Gryffindors were filing in the main doors. He must have imagined it.

A few minutes later he was in the shower, curtain draw behind him as he let the hot spray soothe him into calmness, trying to empty his head of all thoughts but the feel of the wind in his hair as he had flown over the lake. He washed quickly and turned off the water, wrapping a towel around his waist as he drew back the curtain.

He went to head back through to the changing area, but something in his brain was trying to get his attention. He stopped and listened. Someone else was in here. Another shower was running. There was the scent of cherry blossom and almonds in the air.

Frantically he dashed to the changing room door. A set of Gryffindor Quidditch robes lay abandoned on the bench.

Merlin, what if it was her?

He should get dressed and go. He knew he should. So why was his body turning without his permission? Why was he creeping along the row of shower cubicles to the end? And why was he now staring into the cubicle where she stood?

She hadn't drawn the curtain.

Merlin she was even more beautiful than he had imagined.

True, he'd probably given her longer legs in his fantasies, but he hadn't imagined her bottom would be so perfectly rounded; hadn't imagined her waist would be quite so slim or her skin quite so creamily smooth looking. Her back was to him, which was lucky because he felt his body instantly reacting to her naked form. She turned slightly, not enough to catch sight of him, but enough that he saw the profile of her chest.

Her breasts were perfect. They had never been quite so full or so pert in his imagination. Her curves were better than he had expected. They weren't ridiculously big on her small frame either. He could have cupped one in his hand quite easily.

Oh Merlin, his body had definitely reacted to that thought.

He suppressed the groan that had risen to his throat and stumbled away from her, barely stopping to hang up his towel again before he threw himself into the shower, gasping as he yanked the handle round to its coldest setting and felt the freezing water instantly calming the desire raging through his body.

_Fuck!_

He gave it a minute and then turned the temperature up a little so the water was at least tepid. He lent his hands against the wall in front and upturned his face into the flow of water, squeezing his eyes closed and willing the spray to wash away the images of her that kept floating before his eyes.

"Are you trying to drown yourself?"

Draco's eyes shot open and his hand came down on the shower's lever, instantly cutting off the flow of water. He head. Madeleine was standing there wrapped in a towel. He'd forgotten to close the shower curtain.

He choked and grabbed his towel off the hook, clutching it in front of his hips and glaring at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" he spat, making as if to push past her.

In response she shot out her hand, blocking his way so that unless he wanted to barge into her arm he couldn't get out. He really didn't think he could cope with any skin-to-skin contact right now so he was forced to stop.

"Well…" She was smirking at him in that devilish way she had again, and Merlin, now she was actually stepping into the shower cubicle with him, trapping him against the sidewall. "Since you saw me naked, I thought it was only fair that I got a look too."

_Fuck!_ How did she know?

The tiles behind felt cold on his naked skin and he concentrated on that, willing his body not to react to her presence. To her scent. It was filing his nostrils and sending his thoughts off on crazy tangents. What if she tried to kiss him again?

"Always so tense, Draco." She was gazing straight into his eyes again and Draco suppressed his shudder. He could close himself off from anyone who tried to use occlumens against him, so why did it feel like she of all people could read every thought in his head? His brain vaguely registered the way her wet hair was sticking to her skin, dark lines and curls on those pale shoulders that begged him to touch, to brush them aside so he could admire her curves without interruption.

_Double fuck!_

He was just starting to tell himself that he needed to push away that arm still blocking his escape and get away before he did something stupid when he felt a touch on his stomach. He risked a glance down. Her fingers were sliding lightly over his abdomen, skirting his belly button, drifting slowly towards his chest. He felt his stomach muscles twitch along with certain other parts of his anatomy that he desperately tried to ignore.

He snapped his eyes back up to her face. She wasn't smirking anymore, just looking at him with an expression that suggested she was evaluating his reaction. He was determined not to give her one, glad that the towel he still had clutched over his hips was hiding from her the reaction going on down there.

Those wicked fingers glided on over the sheen of water still clinging to his body. She had reached his neck now and her fingers skipped to his jaw line.

He felt his eyes widen as her fingers moved to his lips, ghosting lightly over them, only to be removed suddenly and replaced by her lips, hovering less than an inch from his own. Why didn't she just kiss him and get it over with? Merlin, why was she torturing him like this?

"You really need to lighten up, Draco," she whispered. Draco was ashamed to realise his eyes had fluttered closed. He snapped them open just in time to see her step backwards and yank on the shower lever. She stepped out of the cubicle just a split second before Draco found himself hit by a freezing jet of water.

"Fuck!"

He heard her giggle as she exited to the changing rooms. A ridiculously feminine noise that would have done funny things to his body if it wasn't for the fact that he was far too cold to even think thoughts like that. He twisted the handle round to warm up the flow of water and lent his hands back on the wall, resuming his earlier position.

He stayed there long enough to make sure she had well and truly gone before he exited.

By the time he made his way back to the castle it was pitch dark outside.

* * *

That night in bed he _knew_ he was going a little bit insane. With his eyes open his thoughts were of her fingers running over his naked body, her lips tantalisingly close to his. With his eyes closed his thoughts drifted to her naked figure, standing under the shower, dripping with water. He'd only seen her back, but Merlin it was enough to set his heart racing and his blood surging to areas of his body that he'd really rather it didn't.

At this point he didn't know whether he wanted to kiss her or just hex that smirk right off her pretty little face.

Filthy Gryffindor.

Probably a filthy mudblood too.

The way her dark hair cut trails across her pale skin. Those soft fingers trailing over his lips.

Merlin, he couldn't have cared less what she was right now.

She was too hard to resist.

He was too hard.

Without his permission his hand had drifted down to his iron-hard length and an unbidden moan escaped his throat as he wrapped his fingers around it. He thanked Merlin that he'd been placing silencing charms around his bed each night since Blaise had started complaining that his tossing and turning was keeping him awake.

With a gasp he snatched his hand away. No. He would not do this. He would not get himself off to thoughts of some filthy little Gryffindor.

Even if she was the most beautiful woman he'd even seen.

His fingers had crept back down and suddenly he didn't care. His hand moved almost involuntarily and he let his mind drift off into those unwelcome, but exhilarating imaginings of her naked body pressed up against his in the shower, her lips on his, actually kissing. Her hand drifted over his body, in reverse this time. Chest, stomach, slipping lower, replacing his own hand.

He came suddenly, smothering his groan of ecstasy in the pillow, despite the silencing charm. Head spinning crazily as the image dissolved and the high faded. It never lasted long enough.

It could never have lasted long enough to take away the feeling of disgust that overwhelmed him the moment it had gone. He groped for his wand, casting a cleaning spell to rid himself of the sticky results of his orgasm and then scrambled out of bed.

He couldn't stay in it tonight. Not after that.

What had he been thinking?

Suddenly exhausted he dragged the top blanket off the bed and took it through into the common room, flinging himself down on one of the sofas and wrapping it round him tightly. If he squeezed his eyes shut hard enough he could almost pretend he hadn't done that.

Hadn't just come to the thought of a filthy little Gryffindor girl in the shower.

Sleep came unexpectedly easily, possibly because his body had finally had the release it needed. All the same he was glad when he woke up in the morning before anyone else came down and was able to return to his dormitory and dress in time to avoid any awkward questions about why he'd spent the night on the sofa rather than in his own bed.

The next few nights were much the same.

By the fourth night he'd given up fighting it. The self-loathing hadn't gone away, but he was ignoring it now. He did what he needed to do, cleaned himself up and then curled up under the blankets. He couldn't be bothered leaving tonight; he was just going to have to deal with it.

It was the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time


	2. Quidditch and Kisses

**Author's Notes: **Hello to everyone who has followed this so far, I'm glad you're reading along. This will be updated regularly :)

If you're enjoying this you may also want to read my other story 'Take Me There'.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Quidditch and Kisses**

October passed quickly. Draco increased the number of Quidditch practises in preparation for the match against Gryffindor. During the evenings the pitch was constantly in use by one team or the other and Draco relished the opportunity it gave him to keep his mind off Madeleine and her infuriating ways.

She'd taken to smirking at him more often now. Whenever there was no one there to see. Usually it was when she found him in the library alone. It wasn't why he'd been going there more often though. That was just because the Professors were piling on the work and he needed to get it done. Needed something to take his mind off his shitty life and the heart-breaking letters his mother sent him begging him to keep himself safe.

She'd already told him to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.

He was thankful for that. Thankful not to have to go home and face _him_ again. Grateful that he could stay in his fantasy world of Hogwarts and pretend that everything was the same as it always had been before he'd been forced to take the mark.

Had he wanted this?

He had a feeling that he had, but it felt like a hundred lifetimes ago.

He didn't know who that person had been.

He didn't know who he was now.

After he'd let the rest of the team go he released the snitch again and gave it a head start before taking off after it. This was his time to clear his mind, without the distraction of the rest of the team around him.

He caught it easily. Let it go. Caught it again. The third time he gave it a longer head start but it didn't take long to spot it again. It was easier, he conceded, without the distractions of the game and another seeker around.

Eventually he landed, snitch clutched tightly in one hand, broomstick in the other. A figure detached itself from the shadow of the stands and came towards him The figure wasn't in it's Gryffindor Quididitch robes today, but he recognised it all the same.

_Madeleine._

She was wearing a set of flying robes for a team he didn't recognise. They were the same bright blue as her eyes and much better cut that any of the Hogwarts School Quidditch robes. Draco suspected they were something to do with Beauxbatons.

"Hello, Draco."

He tore his eyes away from her figure, realising he'd been admiring it just a little too openly and covered it by sneering at her.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Just seeing if you're as good a flyer as they say you are."

That threw him a little. Who the hell would have told her he was a good flyer?

"And?"

Damn it, he didn't want her opinion!

"You're pretty good." She smirked and took a step nearer. She was dangerously close again, and Draco willed his feet to take a step backwards. Unfortunately his body seemed to have gone on strike. How the hell did she do that to him?

He searched for something to say that would take his mind off her closeness and found his eyes settling on her broomstick.

"You have a Firebolt."

Fuck that sounded stupid. What had compelled him to say that?

It seemed she agreed with the stupidity of the comment because she smirked harder than ever and leaned towards him.

"You're not the only rich little pure-blood in the school, Draco Malfoy."

_Shit._ Not a mudblood then. There went one of his reasons for trying to hate her.

"You know," To his relief she had leaned back again and was now looking at him thoughtfully, "When I tried out for the team Ginny wanted me to try for Seeker. I've got the build for it and I've got a Firebolt. They seemed to think that was all I needed. I politely refused. I wonder if that was the right decision?"

Draco had no idea what to say to that. Why was she making conversation with him in the first place?

Before he realised what she was doing she lent forward again. He felt her fingers on his and then somehow she had the snitch instead of him.

"Let's find out shall we?" She threw the snitch into the air.

"What the…?" Draco made a grab for it, but the thing whizzed away out of sight and he missed.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" he snapped angrily. It had been his Quidditch practise. He had been responsible for ensuring the safe return of the practise balls. And whilst he didn't think there would be too much trouble over it all things considered, he didn't want Madam Hooch to have an excuse to make things difficult. "Stupid, idiotic Gryffindor!"

Madeleine had already mounted her broomstick and she was grinning at him now. "Guess we'd better try and find it," she said gleefully.

Oh Merlin, she was actually toying with him now.

"Find it yourself," he snapped. Folding his arms and resolutely deciding he wouldn't move. "I don't play with filthy little blood traitors."

It would definitely be better if she reacted to his insults.

She didn't though, she just stared at him impassively, then drifted nearer, her lips curving into that stupidly attractive smirk she had.

"Draco," she purred, her lips ridiculously close to his ear, considering that she was half hanging off her broomstick to get so close to him, "If you don't help me look then we'll probably be here all night."

_Fuck!_

He reached out for her, determined to drag her off that broomstick and wipe that stupid smirk off her face. Screw no physical violence towards women; he needed to do something about this right now!

She had already whizzed away though and his hands closed on empty air. With a groan of frustration he mounted his own broomstick and kicked off after her, trying to ignore the part of his brain telling him that what he'd actually been going to do was kiss her.

He shot up into the air, anger giving him more speed than he intended. He couldn't see where she'd gone for a minute, but then she appeared in front of him, grinning mischievously and looking far too elegant to be allowed on a broomstick.

"Decided to play after all then?"

"Fuck off, Gryffindor. I just want to find the damn thing and get out of here,"

He turned his broomstick away and started to drift over the pitch, scanning for any sign of the little, golden ball. It didn't take him long to spot it, halfway down the pitch and practically on a level with him. He urged his broomstick forwards and shot after it, twisting in the air as the thing decided to head upwards out of his reach. On some vague level he was aware of Madeleine, underneath him, but drawing level with him on her faster broom as they shot skywards.

The damn snitch kept on going.

Madeleine gave a sudden shriek and her broomstick twisted away from their trajectory, taking her with it. Distracted he slowed down, looking for a sign of her falling beneath him, his heart suddenly constricting in his chest. He caught sight of her a long way below twisting crazily, but as he watched her broomstick swung round in a curve and she was still on top of it, apparently perfectly all right judging by the girlish giggle that floated up to him through the clear air.

He glanced upwards. The snitch had disappeared and he dropped back down towards the stands, scowling fiercely when Madeline tried to catch his eye.

Had she done that on purpose?

He concentrated on scanning for the snitch again, telling himself that his moment of worry had been a natural reaction to seeing anybody potentially fall from their broomstick. It wasn't because it was her. He definitely wouldn't have laughed if it had been Potter.

Scratch that. He definitely would have laughed if it had been Potter.

Confused he was only too relieved to catch a glimpse of the snitch again, this time hovering near the ground at the opposite end of the pitch. He twisted his broomstick and raced off after it, feeling Madeleine, who seemed to have been using the tactic of sticking behind him until he spotted it, following after.

She had obviously seen where he was aiming because she sped up and her faster broomstick had soon pulled them level. It seemed though that she had more trouble controlling her flight when she was in someone else's slipstream than he did and Draco found that by nudging his own broom slightly towards her he could force her to swerve more than strictly necessary.

They were still level as they approached the snitch. They both reached out.

The snitch moved. It flitted across Madeleine's flight path, upwards and to the right.

Madeleine wasn't quick enough to react, she shot forwards, Draco turned faster, leaned over and grabbed the tiny golden ball out of the air, smirking in satisfaction as he felt his fingers close around the cool metal.

Madeleine had turned too, but even with her Firebolt she hadn't been quick enough.

Draco allowed himself to drift to the ground, adrenalin coursing through his veins, grinning as she came into land right in front of him, temporarily forgetting who she was in his flush of triumph.

"I was right, you are better than me." She didn't seem bothered by this piece of information, seeming to merely take his victory as confirmation that she was right, rather than that she was a poor flyer.

Draco was desperately trying to adjust his features into his usual coldness, having remembered exactly who she was and exactly how wrong this whole thing had been. The problem was she had stepped closer and it was not helping his racing heart to calm down.

"Of course, Ginny is better than me," she said thoughtfully. She was leaning closer now and her lips were right by his ear. "But this time you win." Merlin, that voice was shooting straight to certain parts of his body and making them react in a very obvious way. If she leaned any closer they'd be touching and then there would definitely be no hiding his reaction to her closeness. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard in an attempt to control himself.

"Winners get prizes."

The lips were gone from his ear, but a second later he felt gentle fingertips on his cheek and then unexpectedly her lips were on his, and she was kissing him softly. There was a second where he froze. Her lips were just as warm and soft as he had imagined. Her scent was filling her nostrils, and though their bodies were not touching, all it would take was for him to move half an inch forwards and he could satisfy that need that had been building in him since the moment he'd laid eyes on her.

Unable to help himself he kissed her back. Gently, almost hesitantly. He wasn't really sure why he was doing it.

Then she was gone.

He snapped open his eyes just in time to see her smirk and jump back on her broomstick, shooting away into the oncoming night before he could even say anything.

_Fuck._

He ran for the changing rooms, flung his broomstick away, grabbed his wand and threw himself into the shower room, slamming the door shut behind him.

A locking charm.

A silencing charm.

He ripped his clothes off and hurled himself into a shower cubicle, one hand flicking on the water, the other already wrapped around his cock. He didn't care if this was disgusting. He had spent so many nights fantasising over those lips and now he had experienced the reality it had been better than anything he'd ever imagined.

His entire body felt like it was on fire. He tugged at his length, his hand moving rapidly as he sought some glorious release from the feelings fizzing through his veins.

He came hard, crying out in ecstasy, not bothering to stop the spray of creamy white from hitting the walls of the shower.

Fuck, he needed this.

Only when the high had vanished and the reality of where he was came back did he sink to the floor of the cubicle and groan in despair.

He hated himself in that moment.

Hated her as well for what she had done to him.

Needed her more desperately than he'd even needed anyone in his life.

* * *

He spent the next few days with his mind in a whirl. He had subtly asked questions of his fellow Slytherins until he'd found out what he wanted to know.

She was from a French pure-blood family. Very rich. Very well connected. An only child.

In his head he added that she was arrogant, controlling and ridiculously tenacious.

The perfect little Slytherin. Except that she was a Gryffindor.

_Blood traitor._

He hissed the words between his teeth, willing himself to believe them, willing them to stir up some feelings inside him other than red-hot desire that seemed to have taken over every facet of his being.

Only when Blaise started noticing him staring at her did he double his efforts to bring himself back under control. He sat with his back to the Gryffindor table at meal times. Made sure he sat well away from her in lessons, preferably in front of her so he couldn't be tempted. Only in Ancient Runes did he allow himself to indulge in some uninterrupted staring. It was lucky he was naturally good at the subject because sometimes when he left he found he hadn't taken a single note down.

The strain of the whole thing was starting to show. He'd stopped sleeping so well again, even after he had given into his body's desires. It just wasn't enough anymore.

* * *

He left Ancient Runes on Thursday his head more confused than ever. She hadn't even looked at him when she'd come in the room this time.

Why the fuck was she ignoring him?

She'd had her hair down as well and the scent of almonds and cherry blossom had assaulted his nostrils throughout the lesson until he'd been forced to take notes just to close off his mind from that tantalising smell.

He fled the lesson as soon as it was finished and shut himself in the boy's bathroom, leaning over the sink and looking into the mirror at his pale features and the dark circles under his eyes.

Merlin, he looked dreadful.

He splashed some water on his face in an effort to clear his head and dried himself off on one of the towels. Someone came in whilst he was doing so and he lowered the towel, prepared to snarl at the intruder if they were anything less than a seventh year, and maybe even then.

It was Madeleine.

_Fuck!_

"What the hell are you doing? This is the boy's bathroom," he snapped as she came towards him.

"So?" She had stopped again as she always did just a foot away from him. "You've seen me naked. It's hardly going to embarrass me being caught in here fully dressed is it?"

Draco tried to think of a reply to that, but his brain had gone funny and all he managed was a choked sounding of exclamation of horror.

"Do you ever get a good night's sleep?" she asked, her eyes flicking over his face, her expression inscrutable as always.

"None of your fucking business," he spat, flinching away as she raised her hand to his cheek again. Those soft fingers caressed lightly at his jaw and he caught hold of her wrist in frustration. "I've told you not to touch me you filthy little Gyrffindor."

Why didn't she react?

Why didn't she do something other than stare at him with those liquid blue eyes?

He realised he still had hold of her wrist and he dropped it suddenly as if it burnt.

"You're very tense, Draco. You really need to lighten up." She said this unconcernedly, as if merely offering him advice on which item to pick off a menu. Her hand, he noticed, had come back up to his face, though it hovered millimetres from his skin. "I'm going to touch you again now," she murmured, leaning in suddenly so her lips were near enough to kiss, "Because I know you want me to."

Merlin, he did want her to.

He was going to let her.

Her fingers pressed against his cheek at the same time her lips met his. The kiss was firmer this time, still soft and gentle, but more insistent. He didn't bother to hesitate. He kissed her back, giving in to the desire that shot through his body the instant their lips came together.

He wanted to pull her close, but enough of his sanity remained that he resisted, concentrating instead on her taste, her smell, the feel of those warm, soft lips, on his. His sanity started to crack. Screw it. He needed to know how it would feel to have those curves pressed against his body. He moved his arm.

She moved as well, pulling away from him. Her lips and fingers leaving his face at the same time. Leaving him bereft.

He snapped his eyes open, biting back a whimper of longing as she drew away from him. She eyed him for just a second before she turned and left the bathroom.

_Fuck!_

For a moment he cursed himself for not reacting faster. For not pulling her flush against him whilst he had the chance. For not encircling her with his arms so she couldn't just leave him there like that.

It lasted a moment and then he was cursing himself for feeing like that at all. He wasn't supposed to want her.

_Blood traitor._

It was annoying him that he was starting not to care.

* * *

That night he tossed and turned in bed, eventually falling into a turbulent doze where he dreamt of passionate kisses and soft skin. Of warm hands and naked bodies. Of her.

He woke up with a gasp, feeling the result of his lustful dreams dripping over his stomach.

Shit that was disgusting.

He cleaned himself with his wand, thanked Merlin for the silencing charms he always put up and berated himself for his lack of control.

She was turning him into some hormonal thirteen year old who couldn't control himself properly.

He rolled over and punched his pillow, gazing sightlessly at the hangings around his bed.

Why the hell did she have to be so damn attractive?

And why the hell did she seem determined to drive him crazy?

* * *

He didn't really see her for the next few days apart from in lessons, and he was still studiously avoiding her during those. With the Quidditch match fast approaching he was spending every day either training or in the library catching up on his homework. He went to the library now purely to avoid Pansy. Madeleine was never there anymore, because if he wasn't on the Quidditch pitch, it meant the Gyrffindor team were practising.

Now it was Saturday. The day of the match. Draco had arrived at the pitch early, having completely failed to eat any breakfast. The butterflies in his stomach were only partly to do with the game.

She was going to be here.

He changed and hurried out for a final warm up before the others arrived, only coming down when he saw that the rest of his team were out on the pitch and the stands were starting to fill up.

There was just time for a last minute pep talk before they were lining up, and he was being forced to shake hands with the Weasley girl. He grimaced and looked down the line, catching Madeleine's eye as he did so. She looked calm and collected, no trace of nerves about her.

The whistle blew and he kicked off into the air, zooming away from Weasley as soon as he got chance and searching vaguely for the snitch. Beneath him the game was fast and furious and twenty minutes in the Ravenclaw who was commentating (not loopy Luna this time he noticed) announced the score as 70-10 to Gryffindor.

Damn it, they were still good. Even without Potter.

Madeleine had the Quaffle. He watched her weave smoothly under a well-aimed bludger. One of his chasers went in for a tackle but she swerved, aimed and threw. The keeper missed by a mile.

80-10 to Gryffindor. He should be more annoyed at that, but he was too busy admiring the grace with which Madeleine could fly. She made it look effortless.

He was brought back to reality when he noticed Weasley going into a dive. He followed her line of sight.

_Idiot Weasley._

The snitch was below him, hovering near the ground. He was nearer.

He dived quickly, feeling the wind rushing through his hair as he sped towards the ground. He was only a few feet away, Weasley catching up fast when the snitch moved, darting upwards and completely out of sight.

He swore loudly and pulled out of the dive, noticing from the corner of his eye that Ginny had taken just a split second longer to react. He allowed himself a thin smirk. He was better than her.

The score had somehow become 90-20 whilst he'd been preoccupied and he hurtled upwards, scanning desperately around for some sign of the snitch. If he didn't catch it soon he might as well not bother. His team were getting slaughtered by the superior Gryffindor chasers, led it seemed by Madeleine, who was annoyingly good at dodging and seemed to have an uncanny aim when it came to goal scoring.

She was responsible for the next two goals Gryffindor scored and Draco was starting to feel desperate. He refused to lose to Gryffindor again!

To his complete relief he spotted the snitch again. It wasn't far from where Ginny was flying, but she had her back to it. She hadn't seen it.

He glanced around and casually started to drift in that direction, looking as if he was doing nothing more than continuing to search at random. If he went for it now, she would almost certainly spot it and beat him to it as he so nearly had with her before, but on the other hand if he didn't catch it very soon the game would be lost anyway. Gryffindor scored again, Finnigan this time and Draco took advantage of the temporary distraction to sweep in the direction of the snitch. It was still hovering in exactly the same place and Weasley was still oblivious, drifting slowly away from it looking in all the wrong directions.

Unfortunately the commentator seemed to be a bit quicker on the uptake. Bloody Ravenclaws.

"Looks like Malfoy's spotted the snitch!" The boy bellowed, and Ginny whirled around.

With no choices left open to him Draco dived, heading randomly for a point midway between him and the Gryffindor seeker. A point that if he could lure her to they would be more evenly matched in the race for the snitch.

To his delight she dived too, he could see her searching frantically ahead of her for the snitch. He didn't have long until she'd work out he was faking it.

With a tremendous effort he pulled out of the dive, yanking his broom around and heading in the real direction this time. Weasley reacted. Not fast enough though. She was still behind. He was drawing nearer. He reached out his hand and snatched the golden snitch out of the air, hearing Weasley's cry of dismay as his fingers closed around it.

He'd done it.

_Bloody hell!_

They'd just beaten bloody Gryffindor!

He drifted to the ground, staring at the snitch, in a complete state of shock. He didn't hear the commentator shouting out the score. He didn't hear the roar of the Slytherins, drowned out somewhat by the groans of disappointment from the rest of the crowds.

He landed, seconds before the rest of the team threw themselves on him with shrieks and whoops of excitement, their usual respect and fear of him completely dissipating in that one glorious moment of victory.

He could vaguely see the Gryffindors coming into land nearby. They seemed to be comforting the Weasley girl and he realised he should probably be gloating right now. He should probably feel some sort of happiness about this situation. All he felt was numb shock.

He caught sight of Madeleine. She was standing on the edge of the team and she was looking right at him. Their eyes met. He expected disappointment, or anger. Instead she gave him a brilliant smile that floored him completely and then made him grin back without realising what he was doing.

There was the happiness he was supposed to be feeling. It welled up inside him, better than anything he had felt in well over a year.

Some of his team members were jeering at the Gryffindors now, but he had no desire to join in. In fact he didn't want to even hear it. He rounded them up as quickly as possible and took them through to the changing rooms with the excuse that they should get back to the Slytherin Common Room as quickly as possible. There would be an amazing party he promised them.

There was, but he wasn't much interested. He faked it until he couldn't cope any longer, then went to bed and let that smile haunt his dreams.

_Filthy little Gryffindor._

The voice was very quiet tonight.

* * *

After the excitements of the weekend reality came crashing back. With no Quidditch to distract him he found that time was dragging on much more slowly. There were also odd things happening. Messages scrawled on the wall about the DA. Students getting locked in the dungeons. There was a new edict issued that they were supposed to practise the Crucio curse on any students in detention. So far Draco had got out of this by sending Crabbe or Goyle in his place when it was his turn. They were more than happy to go.

Draco couldn't have cared less if he never cast that curse again.

What he did care about though was whether he was going to get to kiss Madeleine again anytime soon. Since the match she hadn't seemed much inclined to approach him and he was damned if he was going to approach her. She might have been driving him crazy but she was still a filthy blood traitor and he did have some pride left.

It was rapidly wearing away.

That last kiss had been both relieving and frustrating. Relieving because he had at least got to kiss her properly but frustrating because now he needed more. She was like a drug. Draco wasn't sure what would be enough.

Maybe if he just got to kiss her again.

It was two weeks since the Quidditch game. He was starting to feel like he was going insane again.

He wandered out of potions on Friday, not at all looking forward to the afternoon. He had a free period and so did Pansy. She had started to follow him to the library now whenever he went there, apparently not at all put off by the fact that he was paying her no attention whatsoever and more enamoured of him than ever now he had beaten Gryffindor in the Quidditch match. He was really not in the mood to put up with her today.

He was wandering past what had once been Snape's office when the door suddenly opened. He stopped in surprise, but no one came out. Confused he stepped towards the door and looked thorough.

There was a hand on his arm and he was dragged inside before he could even cry out. He stumbled, whirled around, wand raised and then stopped in surprise. There was no one there.

A familiar voice whispered a spell and Madeleine came into view, just to the left of the closed door.

"What the fuck?"

"Disillusionment charm."

"I know what the fuck it was. What the hell are you doing?" He had shoved his wand away for some reason, his body clearly deciding he didn't need it without intervention from his brain.

She was walking towards him again and Draco wrestled with the last dregs of his pride. He needed to leave. She couldn't actually trap him in here like she could in the shower. All he needed to do was walk away right now before she got too close. He tried stepping backwards. His legs hit the desk behind him. She stopped only a foot away from him.

_Fuck!_

Madeleine seemed to be looking at him with a mixture of amusement and concern, which was at least better than her usual impassiveness.

"Always so resistant, Draco," she murmured, her hand had curled itself around the front of his shirt without him noticing, helping her balance on tiptoe as she brought her lips up towards his. "I really don't know why you bother. I'm going to kiss you anyway."

_Get on with it!_

As if she had read his mind her lips were suddenly on his. The kiss was much more passionate today and Draco grabbed at her waist. He wasn't going to make the mistake of last time. If this was happening he was going to enjoy it properly. Her body met his at long last and he groaned into the kisses.

_Amazing._

Her curves moulded perfectly against his torso as she slipped her hand out the way. He deepened the kisses a little, experimentally flicking his tongue over her lips, tasting her more thoroughly than he had before.

_Tantalising._

Her hands were suddenly on his and he felt her drawing them away. He had no choice but to let her, he couldn't bring himself to touch her against her will, but Merlin when she finally pulled away completely, pushing his hands back to his sides, running her tongue thoughtfully over her own lips as if relishing his taste, he wanted nothing more than to grab her and pull her back towards him.

"You see, Draco, that wasn't so bad was it?" she purred, sending a pink tinge to his cheeks. Embarrassment brought back some of the sense she'd taken away and he glared at her fiercely.

"Not bad I suppose for a filthy little Gryffindor," he snapped. She didn't react this time anymore than she had in the past, but he slipped past her and stalked out the room, only breaking into a run once he had turned the corner and flinging himself into the nearest bathroom for some much needed relief.

_Fuck!_

She'd reduced him to getting himself off in the bathroom now.

He needed to get her out of his head.

Needed to break this power she had over him.

What he needed right now was a drink.

* * *

That thought haunted his mind for the next few days. Alcohol couldn't solve problems, but it sure as hell made them go away for a few hours. And he really needed her out of his head.

Back at home Draco had raided his father's drinks cabinet and when the nightmares and the reality of his situation had become unbearable had drunk until his stomach had revolted and he'd thrown up, or until he'd fallen into blissful dreamless sleep for a few hours. The headaches on the other side of the high had just been one more thing to distract him from the reality around him.

The night the Dark Lord had made him torture Rowle had been the worst. That night he'd drunk and drunk, forcing himself to stay awake until he had finally passed out on his floor. His mother had found him the next day and had cried until Draco couldn't stand it any longer. Then she'd poured all the alcohol away. He hadn't had a drink since then.

Right now though he really needed one. He knew where he could get alcohol in the school. At least if that stupid old baggage was still keeping it there.

Tuesday night he managed to shake off the ever-persistent Pansy long enough to make his way up to the seventh floor. The corridor was abandoned when he got there as it usually was and he activated the Room of Hidden Things quickly, not even caring that he had no guard for when he came out again.

So what if people knew the room was here?

He was past caring about that.

The room had a painful familiarity about it. He shuddered as he remembered the last time he had been here. The memory of the horror he had felt as he had seen Greyback coming out of the cabinet temporarily cutting through all other thoughts.

He tried to push it to one side and yanked open a nearby cupboard, giving a laugh of triumph as he found it stocked with bottles of sherry.

Disgusting stuff, but better than nothing.

He pulled out a full bottle and yanked out the cork, putting it to his lips and taking a large swig.

Vile.

The liquid burned like fire down his throat. Sweet, relieving fire that he knew would eventually distract him from the turmoil of his life. He took another swig.

With the bottle in his hand he got up. He was here, he might as well take a look around, see if anyone else had been here since his last visit. He wandered along the rows of junk, avoiding for now the area where he knew the vanishing cabinet was situated. He was seriously tempted to go and set the thing on fire, but fear of what the Dark Lord might say if he destroyed it and it was needed again tempered that desire. There were other things in here to occupy himself with for now.

He wandered for a while, taking occasion swigs from the bottle, until his head felt pleasantly fuzzy and his thoughts were reduced to concentrating on taking his next step and to sniggering randomly at some of the rubbish hidden in here.

Eventually, and somewhat reluctantly, he decided it must be time to go to bed. He had drunk quite a lot of the bottle's contents and didn't really feel up to a refilling charm right now. Instead he opened a cupboard at random and stuck the bottle in there, ignoring the rather gruesome caged skeleton inside. The cupboard had a weird mannequin head on top with a blonde wig. He was sure he'd remember it for next time.

With that done he made his way back to the door. There was no point pressing his ear to it to see if there was anyone out there so he opened it just the tiniest bit, knowing that he was instantly making the door visible to anyone on the outside and feeling a sort of fuzzy headed relief when there was no one in sight.

Quickly he slipped through the door, closing it behind him and sniggering stupidly as it vanished. His head swirled slightly and he lent against the wall for a minute before taking a very unsteady step forwards. He'd drunk quite a lot of alcohol in a short space of time. This was only going to get worse. He was suddenly very aware that he needed to get to bed before he actually collapsed where he stood.

He pulled himself together and took another couple of steps.

Suddenly there was a pressure on his arm. He yelled as he felt himself being yanked sideways, stumbling as the tug on his arm continued, until he was behind the troll tapestry, wedged into a narrow alcove, half collapsed against the wall. Someone was in here with him, someone invisible, He groped for his wand, but his hands weren't quite so coordinated as they should be and he missed.

"Don't bother."

_Madeleine._

"What the hell?" he gasped.

She removed her disillusionment charm and gave him a condescending stare.

"You're drunk."

"No I'm not." Merlin, she was even closer to him than usual. The narrowness of the alcove forcing them to stand in closer proximity than they usually did. At least when they weren't kissing. He was glad the alcohol in his blood was numbing his reactions.

Madeleine snorted derisively at his denial. "Yes you are."

"So what?"

"What's that room you disappeared into? It wouldn't let me in." Those penetrating blue eyes were cutting through the fuzziness in his brain. He tried to rearrange his features into a more neutral expression, and also to suppress the silly giggle that seemed to be rising in his throat.

He did not giggle like some stupid little girl!

"It doesn't like filthy little Gryffindors," he spat, taking refuge in insults when his brain could come up with nothing better. His head was spinning and he wasn't entirely sure if it was all to do with the alcohol.

No reaction. There never was.

"You were in there a long time."

"Waiting for me were you?"

"Yes." That floored him completely. Curiosity and his tenuous hold on his sobriety made him ask the question, even though the part of his brain that was still in control was telling him to just get out of here right now.

"Why?"

Madeleine shrugged. "Curious as to what the infamous Draco Malfoy is doing disappearing into a room that isn't there."

Now it was his turn to give a derisive snort of laughter. "You were spying on me."

"Oh, don't worry," she had leaned closer now as if she was going to kiss him again, "I won't tell anyone you were there."

The temptation to just lean forwards and close the gap between their lips was almost overwhelming His eyes seemed to have closed without his permission, but he felt her move away and he snapped them open again, jerking his head backwards so hard it bounced off the wall causing him to let out a hiss of pain.

"I know a good sobering charm," Madeleine said as he felt gingerly at the back of his head.

"No thanks," he snapped, "I'm quite happy being drunk."

"I thought you said you weren't drunk?" The triumphant smirk on her features was extremely annoying. He groaned. He was definitely drunk. His legs were threatening to collapse under him now.

He closed his eyes, this time to stop the walls from shifting before his eyes. Merlin, he probably shouldn't have drunk quite so much that quickly. It was definitely catching up with him now. The idea of seven flights of stairs in this state filled him with horror. Maybe he'd just go back into the room and wait until he sobered up a bit.

Drunken resolution filled him and he tried to get his legs into working order, groaning when they completely failed to react in the way he wanted. Vaguely he was aware of Madeleine squirming in the narrow gap. Why couldn't she just stay still? This really wasn't helping his state of mind. She muttered something and then suddenly the clouds in his mind mostly lifted and he snapped back to reality.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" he spat, as soon as he registered what had happened.

"Shut up, Draco." She said it conversationally, as if it wasn't entirely important. Her hand had at some point he noticed, curled itself around the front of his shirt. She used it now to balance herself on tiptoe and bring her lips within a few inches of his.

"I could kiss you," she said thoughtfully, head tilted to one side. The whisper of her breath over his lips sent tingles through his skin. He was mostly sober thanks to her little charm, but the slightly tipsy part of his brain had never seen anything more alluring than Madeleine right now.

"Don't you dare," he spat before his brain could really pull itself together.

_Fuck!_

Why had he said that? He hadn't really meant it.

He tried to scowl at her, but the effect was somewhat ruined by her complete lack of reaction. She just hovered there on tiptoe for a few seconds before eventually lowering herself back down and making as if to go.

_What?_

_Where was she going? _

Horrified he gathered his shattered senses and managed to choke out:

"That's it?"

She looked at him questioningly, tilting her head again in that ridiculously alluring way.

"Not going to try and kiss me anyway?" Draco was frantic. He cursed his treacherous brain and treacherous tongue. She was a filthy little Gryffindor. He was not supposed to be encouraging her to kiss him. Why hadn't he just let her walk away?

"Do you want me to?"

"No!" He was back in control. He would not let her takeover his brain like this.

"Fine. Then do you want to kiss me?"

_Yes!_

"Why would I want to kiss a filthy little Gryffindor blood traitor like you?" he snapped. He didn't know if he was more annoyed at her, or at himself.

No, it was definitely at her.

"Well then, there's no problem with me leaving then is there?" She smirked, blue eyes lingering on his for just a split second longer than Draco was comfortable with before she disappeared out of the alcove entirely, leaving him alone.

_Double fuck._

He felt his legs give in and he sank to the floor, his fingers automatically reaching up to touch his tingling lips.

She'd been so close.

He'd wanted it so much.

Damn it, he should have just kissed her.


	3. Alcohol and Insanity

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to everyone who has followed/favourite so far. Let me know what you think in a review if you get chance, I love to hear from everyone reading along :)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Alcohol and Insanity**

Five nights later he went back to the Room of Hidden Things and dug out the bottle of sherry that he'd hidden. He used the refilling charm on it before he'd started drinking, but he was much more careful this time. He'd drunk too much before. He wasn't at home. He needed to drink enough to take away the thoughts in his brain, but not so much that he couldn't make it back to bed.

Just so long as he drunk enough to stop the nightmares.

For some reason since he'd failed to kiss Madeleine a couple of nights ago the nightmares had come back. Often he was on top of the Astronomy Tower on that fateful night. Sometimes Professor Babbage's lifeless, accusing eyes stared at him as she revolved over his head. Sometimes he dreamt that the Dark Lord had killed Potter. That it was all over and he was trapped in this life forever. Those were the worst nights.

He was tired. Tired of waking up covered in a slick sheen of cold sweat. Tired of having to explain away the dark circles under his eyes. Tired of trying to stay awake to stave off the nightmares that he knew were waiting for him.

Exhausted.

He needed to fuck Madeleine.

That's what he'd decided during those long, sleepless nights. She was in his head and under his skin. He needed to fuck her and get her out of his system. Just once. He was sure that would be enough. He'd just take what he needed from the filthy little Gryffindor and be done with it. Be done with her.

The problem was there was no damn privacy in this school.

The other problem was that when he emerged from the room this time, clutching at a book he'd found in his secret hiding place, she wasn't there. Annoyed, he glared at the book as if it was somehow its fault. It was just an old copy of Advanced Potion Making, but it had fallen open when he'd moved that horrible skeletal animal out of the way and a word scribbled in the margin had caught his eye.

_Sectumsempra._

Potter's hideous spell that had nearly killed him last year.

This was definitely worth a look.

* * *

The nightmares worsened. Three nights later Draco fled back to the quiet solace of his secret room and gulped down a large quantity of sherry before he could really think about what he was doing. The whole thing was driving him mad. He couldn't remember the last proper meal he'd eaten. Couldn't remember the last full night of sleep he'd had. Couldn't remember the taste of Madeleine's lips.

_Shit._

He'd caught sight of himself in the bathroom mirror earlier. He hadn't exactly looked healthy at the start of the year, but his skin looked grey and ashen now. His face gaunt, his hair limp. He'd lost more weight than was healthy.

He really didn't want to die.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to live either.

He drank some more sherry and kicked irritably at a broken chair nearby, cursing as it collapsed and sent a pile of junk sliding to the floor, forcing him to stumble drunkenly out of the way.

_Bloody hell._

He stumbled back to the cupboard and shoved the bottle back inside before heading for the door. He flung it open, not even caring if there was anyone outside to see him.

There wasn't, he noted through the alcohol induced haze that was settling over his eyes. The knowledge meant he let out a louder shriek than was at all dignified as someone grabbed his arm and pulled him behind the troll tapestry.

"You look like shit, Draco." Madeleine had appeared before him and he swayed unsteadily in the narrow space, a tiny part of his brain registering with horror that he had just giggled at her. She muttered something else and he felt the fog lift from his brain.

Damn it! Why did she always insist on sobering him up?

He snarled at her, but his snappy reply died in his throat as she cupped his face gently in her hands and forced him to look straight into her eyes. The shock of seeing something other than neutral thoughtfulness there had silenced him. She actually looked concerned.

"Do you ever eat or sleep, Draco?" The concern had vanished as suddenly as it had come. She was back to her usual impassive gaze. With it came Draco's pride.

"Why the hell do you care?" He didn't need the sympathy of some pathetic little Gryffindor.

"Shut up, Draco." Why couldn't she just be angry with him and have done with it? Why did she have to position herself so that her lips were just an inch from his again? "Kiss me."

"What?" Draco jerked his head back so suddenly that it bounced off the wall again. He barely registered the pain. Madeleine had followed him, rising onto tiptoes, her body now pressed lightly against his.

Merlin she was intoxicating.

He could smell her hair. He could feel the warmth of her body. He could very nearly taste her.

He felt nearly as drunk as he had done before she'd cast that blasted sobering charm.

"I said, kiss me you idiot." She didn't wait for him to respond. Her lips were on his, and her hand slipped from his face to tangle in his hair, holding his head in place as her lips assaulted his in a passionate kiss.

_Fuck_.

He couldn't even be bothered questioning the sense in this. His arms snaked around her and he pulled her close, whimpering in relief as their bodies moulded together, returning the kisses with equal passion.

Merlin, he needed this.

Her familiar taste calmed his mind. The way her petite figure melted into his arms soothed his shattered nerves in the way no amount of alcohol could. He could have kissed her forever. He never wanted this to stop. This was something that could make life worth living again.

Eventually she broke the kiss, pulling away from him even as his lips tried to follow hers. He gave a little whimper of protest, then reality whacked him around the head and he snapped his eyes open, unwinding his arms from her body and actually pushing her backwards against the wall.

"Feel better?" She was smirking at him. He cursed the fact that he did feel better. Better than he had in days.

"Ugh." He was disgusted with himself. It was all very well deciding he just needed to fuck her, but when she was around she messed up his brain. Physical pleasure. That was what it was supposed to be about. "I don't…" he started, but Madeleine had raised her lips so they were far too near his again.

"I know. You don't kiss filthy little Gryffindors," she hissed, "Could have fooled me."

She kissed him firmly on the mouth. A brief, yet lingering kiss.

Then she was gone.

Draco waited a few minutes, breathing hard, before heading down to his dormitory. Once he was in bed he found his hand drifting unthinkingly to his erection. He didn't even bother to feel bad about it today. It had been too long. Exhaustion and nightmares had taken away any physical reactions to his desire long ago.

He needed this as well.

Afterwards he cleaned himself up and curled into a foetal position, wishing the high would last just a little bit longer. He fell asleep with the memory of her taste on his lips.

He tried to pretend in the morning that it wasn't her who had chased away his nightmares.

* * *

It had been a week. A whole sodding week since she'd kissed him.

The nightmares were returning and she was fucking ignoring him.

The vague tint of health, which had come back to his skin after three nights of proper food and rest, was fading again. Apparently that was as much as one kiss had the power to induce.

He felt like he was going fucking insane.

Why was she doing this to him? Was it some Gryfifindor idea of a sick joke? To give him what she clearly knew he wanted and then take it away. Was she getting a kick out of watching him go slowly mad? Was she waiting until he cracked and went after her?

He'd give in to madness before he did that.

Fucking filthy Gryffindor.

He clutched tighter at the remains of his shattered pride and forced himself to act normally around his friends.

"I heard the boys are just queuing up to ask her out." Pansy's whining voice cut through his attempts to read his Arithmancy textbook. He was lying on his back, spread full length along one of the sofas in the common room. It was the perfect position for ensuring Pansy couldn't sit next to him. She'd done the next best thing and taken the armchair right next to his head. Blaise was on the opposite chair near his feet.

"That Ravenclaw, Anthony Goldstein, asked her out today," Pansy continued, addressing her little harem of Slytherin girls. Draco found himself distracted from his reading. Were they talking about her? He had to know.

"Who the hell are you talking about, Pansy?" he asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

"That new Gryffindor Madeleine Cardon," she spat out the name as if it tasted nasty, "Little slut's got the entire male population falling at her feet.

"Oh." Draco tried to take a slow, calming breath. Why hadn't he known this? Why hadn't he noticed? Possibly because he'd been too busy being one of those males. Was this why she hadn't approached him recently? Was she flitting between them all – counting the notches on her bedpost so to speak?

"Well what happened?" He cursed himself for his curiosity, but he just had to know. Was she going out with that Ravenclaw twat?

"What?" Curse Pansy and her stupidity.

"With Goldstein," he prompted, unable to help himself, willing his heart to slow down as it anticipated the answer. "What did she say? Was there a point to your story?"

"Oh." Pansy looked at him distastefully as if his asking offended her. "She said no. She always says no. Too much of a high and mighty Gryffindor. Thinks a lot of herself doesn't she?" He couldn't disagree with that statement but Pansy was now glaring at him, her expression somewhere between annoyance and jealousy. "Why are you so interested anyway? Thinking of asking her out yourself, Draco?" she snapped.

Draco snorted derisively, his control returning at the news that she had turned Goldstein down. "Why would I want to touch a filthy little Gryffindor like her?" he spat, the venom in his voice surprising even him. He was a better actor than he'd thought.

"Oh, I don't know," Pansy said warily, "She is very pretty for a Gryffindor. Blaise finds her attractive, don't you Blaise? I think he'd even rate her above Ginny Weasley and we know much he likes her."

Draco's eyes flicked to Blaise, wondering how his friend would react to this goading, ignoring the curl of jealousy creeping around his heart. How dare he have been looking at Madeleine like that?

"I wouldn't touch either of those filthy blood traitors," he spat, eyes blazing as he glared at Pansy. Pansy however was not to be put off and much to Draco's horror resumed her assault on him.

"What do you think, Draco?" she purred, clearly deciding that charm was the way forward now, "Do you prefer her to Ginny Weasley?"

That at least was an easy question to deflect. "I never thought the Weasley girl was attractive in the first place," he said mildly and truthfully, turning his attention back to his textbook and hoping that would be enough to end the subject. Damn it, why had he ever got involved?

Unfortunately for him, Pansy saw through his attempt to deflect attention from Madeleine. Trust her to choose now to develop some semblance of a brain.

"So you _do_ think she's attractive!"

Draco gave a sigh of frustration and flicked his eyes back towards Blaise. How the hell was he going to get out of this one now? He was angry at himself for ever getting himself into this situation and he nurtured that anger, letting it distract him from the parts of his brain that were screaming at him that she was gorgeous. Those parts of his brain were going to make him blush if he let them have free rein.

Blaise rolled his eyes when he saw him looking, and Draco, seeing his opportunity, rolled his in return, then flicked them over to Pansy. He allowed his lips to curve into a smirk as he raised his textbook back to eye level.

"Oh yes, she's very attractive."

That seemed to stun her into silence. She lapsed back in her chair looking upset, clearly with nothing further to say on the issue. Draco shared a conspiratorial grin with Blaise and returned to his reading, glad that he had survived that grilling. He was going to have to be more careful in future. The thudding beat of his heart told him just how close he had come to giving himself away.

* * *

He escaped as soon as he could, back to his secret room where he could drown himself in drink. Not too much. He needed to stay in control. Just enough to chase away his thoughts and keep away the nightmares.

He repeated the exercise over the next two nights. Turning up late to class in the mornings with a killer headache that made the Professors' voices seem like dull roars and made his temples throb and his eyes long to close. Any semblance of health had long since deserted him, he wasn't sure how he was dragging himself through the day.

On the third night he exited the room to find her there again. He didn't even yelp when she dragged him into their alcove, he was too exhausted to bother.

"What are you trying to do to yourself, Draco?" Madeleine had lifted her disillusionment charm, and sobered him up, and was now looking at him with a mixture of concern and horror.

"Why the hell do you care?" he snapped. She was too close to him now and he was too exhausted to gather any semblance of willpower. It was simple pride and arrogance that had given him the energy to say that.

He breathed in deeply, inhaling her scent, letting it seep into every corner of his lungs as she just looked at him, eyes wandering over his face with that intense stare he found so disconcerting. She could read all the secrets of his mind with that stare.

"Draco." She breathed his name, her hands cupping his jaw again as they had last time, thumbs now brushing gently over his cheeks as he shuddered. Just that one touch, so soft and gentle, soothed his soul more than he would care to admit. The last of his pride crumbled and slipped away quietly.

He couldn't cope with this anymore.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?" He felt defeated and right in that moment he'd have given anything to just have her do it.

"No." That usual thoughtful neutrality had returned to her gaze. Her thumbs ceased their steady, soothing pattern and her hands slipped to his shoulders. "You can kiss me though if you like."

"Oh." It took him a while to work that one out and then he gave a little whimper of relief and leaned down, capturing her lips in a tentative kiss.

He shouldn't be doing it, but he couldn't have stopped himself if he'd tried.

She deepened the kisses before he did, her hand weaving itself through his hair again to hold him in place. It was a sign of control, one that right now he was only too happy to give in to. Already he'd snaked his arms around her and he groaned as he pulled her body flush against his, one hand fluttering to her waist to rest there. It was tempting, oh-so-tempting to try to creep under her blouse and take more from her. Take what he needed right now.

He didn't.

A few seconds later she broke the kiss.

She was running her tongue over her lips again as if savouring his taste. He could feel his own tingling and resisted the urge to copy her gesture, instead staring at her numbly.

He'd kissed her.

_Fuck!_

It was one thing to give in when she kissed him, it was quite another to be the one to initiate the kiss.

With a muffled moan of horror he ripped aside the tapestry and ran for his dormitory, flinging himself into bed and pressing his palms into his eyes, trying to rid himself of the knowledge of what he'd just done.

He'd kissed the filthy little Gryffindor.

It wouldn't have been quite so bad if he'd fucked her as well. He could have told himself then that he was just using her for sex. Just using her to relieve this ridiculous lust that was surging through his body.

The problem was he very much doubted she wanted to go that far and he hadn't been able to bring himself to force himself on her.

Why the hell did he care?

Filthy blood traitor.

Next time he'd just do it.

* * *

The kiss didn't chase away the nightmares this time. He'd drunk so much the next night that he'd actually been sick and he knew he had to stop. It was a stupid thing to do. It wasn't helping anymore anyway.

He caved in and went and begged some dreamless sleep potion from Madam Pomfrey. He suspected she'd given in only because he looked so bloody terrible by this point that she'd have practically been sentencing him to death if she'd refused. She'd tried to get him to stay in the Hospital Wing as well and the pity in her eyes had almost made him cave in.

_No._ He still had some of his pride.

There was enough dreamless sleep for four nights. Four blissful nights of unbroken, restful sleep.

His appetite came back. His concentration returned. No more headaches.

No more Madeleine either.

He'd been returning to the Room of Hidden Things each evening, taking his homework with him, partly to get away from Pansy, partly in the hopes of seeing Madeleine again. It was peaceful and soothing in that room, providing he forgot about the whole vanishing cabinet episode. The piles of junk, mostly pointless, bizarre items that someone at some point had thought important enough to hide, but which in retrospect were probably meaningless and stupid, lulled him into a frame of mind where the problems of life no longer bothered him. Let the world crash and burn around him. The whole thing was futile anyway.

Apart from her.

Even in the room he couldn't stop her from stealing across his thoughts whenever he let his mind wander from his homework.

Next time he was just going to take what he needed from her and be done with it. One quick fuck and his life could go back to normal.

He left the room on the fifth night and for once stood in the corridor outside, watching as the door vanished behind him. There was at least one place in this castle where he could get some privacy. All he needed now was for Madeleine to be here.

"Hello, Draco."

He jumped slightly at the voice by his ear, but didn't resist as he felt a firm grip on his arm, tugging him into their alcove again.

He realised for the first time that he had started thinking of it as _their _alcove.

Never mind. She was here, that was the important thing.

He gathered his wits as she removed her disillusionment charm and gave him her usual penetrating stare.

"Not been drinking this time," she said thoughtfully, tilting her head in that rather alluring way she had.

"No." Her scent was clouding his brain. Cherry blossom and almonds. He drew in a deep breath and then tried to pretend he hadn't. It filled his lungs and made his muscles twitch. Already his blood was pounding in his ears as his heart ramped up its pace. He could have her. Right now he could have her. All he had to do was reach out and satisfy this urge that he'd been fighting ever since he'd laid eyes on her.

She was still looking at him in that thoughtful way.

Before he had quite made up his mind to kiss her she had curled her fingers around the front of his shirt, drawn herself up so their lips were level and smirked at him. It threw him a little. Put her back in control.

"You look much better, Draco." Merlin, those words made his stomach twitch in a way that was nothing to do with lust. Why was she scrutinising his physical appearance so closely? Why did she always have to notice?

Her lips were suddenly on his and he gave a muffled moan, kissing her back hungrily, hands grasping at her hips as he slammed her into the wall behind and pressed his body up against hers. His hands crept up to her shoulders as she tangled her fingers in his hair again, practically hanging off him as she licked and sucked at his lips with practised ease.

She was too damn good at this.

Her fingernails ghosted down his neck, sending little trickles of pleasure down his spine, straight to those twitching muscles between his hips. He put one hand on her jaw, pushing her head up as he trailed his lips away from hers, down the curve of her throat, his other hand starting to undo the top buttons on her blouse.

"Draco, stop."

_Fuck!_

He pulled away instantly, cursing himself and her as he removed his hands from her body and instead covered his eyes in despair.

_Shit!_

She'd told him to stop.

He needed her so badly but she'd told him to stop and he had done. He'd been lying to himself when he'd said he'd just take it from her anyway. He never would do.

He'd drown in his own insanity first.

"You stopped." There was just a hint of surprise in her voice and he uncovered his eyes, frowning at her in annoyance. Just because he wouldn't take what she wouldn't give didn't mean he wasn't angry about the whole thing.

"You told me to," he spat, her surprise annoying him all the more. What had she expected? Those too soft hands were back on his face again, blue eyes were staring straight into his as she drew closer. Close enough to kiss again.

"I was just checking." Another of those brief, firm kisses and she was gone, leaving him angry, frustrated and horny as hell.

Somehow he made it to bed and relieved the throbbing between his thighs himself, coming just at the thought of the tantalising flesh he had so nearly got to experience.

He had no more dreamless sleep potion left, but he didn't need it. The memory of her scent and her kisses soothed him into blissful sleep, even if they did fill his dreams with forbidden desire.

* * *

Two more nights. Two nights of waking up slick with sweat and covered in sticky fluid that had nothing to do anymore with nightmares. It was easy to soothe himself back to sleep afterwards with thoughts of her soft hands and delicious kisses but the effort was driving him to distraction.

He'd been back to the Room both nights; she hadn't turned up for either.

Even if she did there was no guarantee she'd give him what he needed.

Insanity take him. He couldn't deal with this anymore. By the third night he was drowning in his own sexual frustration.

He'd actually gone to look at the vanishing cabinet for the first time since he'd started coming back here. At this point memories of that fateful night were better than thinking about her. It didn't help. Part of him considered stepping inside and just transporting himself away from Hogwarts. Away from her.

He gave an angry exclamation and whacked his hand on the side of the cabinet. This was pointless. This whole thing was pointless. He wanted her so badly and if she wasn't outside when he left here today he didn't know what the hell he'd do.

This is what his fucked up life had come to.

He stalked back to the door and flung it open, not even caring if he was caught. The corridor outside was empty. He kept his hand on the door handle, not shutting it completely behind him, keeping the room open.

"Madeleine?" he said cautiously, quietly, his lips finally forming the name of the girl who seemed to have taken over his entire brain.

There was a movement by his left shoulder and then a voice very near his ear.

"Hello, Draco."

He knew what was coming and he reacted first, making a wild grab at where he thought her arm might be, catching it and dragging her back with him through the door into the Room of Hidden Things. As he slammed the door behind them Madeleine removed her disillusionment charm and looked around the room curiously.

"So this is where you've been hiding," she said thoughtfully, eyes wandering over the piles of discarded junk with unabashed curiosity. "Are you going to tell me what you've been doing in here then apart from drinking?"

Draco couldn't have cared less what he had been doing in here right now. In fact he was pretty sure he'd forgotten. He pulled her towards him and slammed his lips into hers, kissing her greedily, releasing her wrist and wrapping his arms around her instead so that this time she couldn't get away.

Not that she was trying to. She'd responded instantly to his kisses, returning them with fervid ones of her own. He could feel one of her hands raking through his hair, the other slipping under his robes to run lightly over his back, her fingers burning trails in his skin, even through the material of his shirt.

"Fuck, Madeleine, what have you done to me?" he growled, pushing her backwards until she slammed into the wall and letting his hands rove unchecked over her curves for the first time since this whole crazy thing had started.

Oh Merlin, just give him this one encounter. Just one. He needed this so badly. If he didn't get to have her right now, as far as he was concerned the Dark Lord could strike him down where he stood. Life wouldn't be worth it anymore.

He groaned into their kisses and started tugging at her school robes. The brief though crossed his mind that she might actually put a stop to this again, but then he felt her tugging on his too and knew that wasn't going to be a problem. Judging from her kisses and the way she started on his shirt buttons before she'd even managed to remove his robes properly she wanted this as much as he did.

She moved her arms, allowing him to push her robes off completely and he started on the buttons of her blouse, lips trailing again down the arch of her throat as his other hand dropped below her hips and he lifted her in the air. Her legs wrapped automatically around his torso and he peppered her neck and shoulders with firm kisses, nipping and sucking at the skin as he undid more of her buttons and the swell of her breasts came into view.

He heard himself moan softly against her skin and he lowered her back to the floor, pulling away her blouse and pausing just long enough to allow her to divest him of his own robes. She'd managed to get all his shirt buttons undone and her fingernails scraped at the skin of his torso as she scrabbled to pull him closer again, both of them groaning with desire as the evidence of just how much he wanted her was trapped between their bodies.

_Fuck._

He captured her lips again, kissing her harder than before, one hand tangling in her hair, the other slipping down over her perfectly formed curves to her thighs, then back up to her breasts. He'd been right that day in the shower. He could cup one perfectly in his hand and he relished the feeling of doing so, even through the material of her bra.

She was responding to his ministrations with little moans and whimpers of her own, licking and nipping at his lips in a way that sent his head into a spin. Her fingers were raking through his hair, her nails catching at his scalp and the nape of his neck, sending those pleasurable little shivers down his spine, straight to the muscles between his hips.

He pulled away from the kisses, took a moment to admire the way her bra looked against her creamy skin and then gave a practised twist that released the catch, allowing him to pull it away and discard it on the floor. With her breasts fully exposed he lifted her up in the air again and resumed his earlier attentions to her skin, kissing round the soft swell of her flesh, teasing himself until he could stand it no more and he enveloped her nipple with his mouth, humming in satisfaction at her low moan of pleasure.

He licked and sucked, feeling her hands alternately dragging at his shirt and pushing his head closer as she mewled into his hair, her warm breath skating over his scalp as she writhed in his arms.

He lowered her when he had his fill. Not that it was enough. It could never be enough. He needed more of her. All of her. He scrabbled in his back pocket for his wand and cast a transfiguration spell at the table he sometimes sat at to do his homework. The thing instantly transformed into a bed. Four-poster, blue hangings.

_Classy._

His lips curved into a smirk as he saw Madeleine raise an eyebrow.

"Nice," she said, before she jumped back into his arms, wrapping her legs around his back again and slamming her lips against his in greedy kisses. Her tongue pushed its way past his lips, into his mouth, dancing over his teeth as he carried her to the bed. He dropped her rather unceremoniously on the mattress and then crawled over her, removing the rest of her clothes: skirt, shoes, knickers.

She was naked beneath him for the first time.

Merlin he'd dreamed of this so many times.

The reality was far better.

He raked his eyes over her naked form, admiring her openly, noticing that she didn't squirm away from his gaze as he did so. Merlin, she knew she was beautiful.

_Arrogant Gryffindor._

The thought skated briefly across his mind and then he yelped as she flipped them over, positioning herself so she was straddling his hips, letting her lips press briefly against his before she started stripping him of his clothes. She did his shoes first and worked upwards from there, removing his shirt last. He flinched then and drew back a little. He'd forgotten that hideous mark that was permanently branded into his arm.

Madeleine didn't skip a beat. He'd seen her eyes flick briefly over it, but then she was kissing him again, before her lips trailed across his jaw, down his neck and he found himself moaning as her lips caught the sensitive spot just below his ear. She nipped at his flesh there and then skated downwards, lips and fingers dancing across his chest, over his stomach setting off firecrackers in his brain, driving him to even greater heights of desire.

Fuck. He needed this right now.

Almost as if she could read his mind she snapped her head up, looking at him lustfully as she crawled back up his body until their hips were in line. He felt her position herself, and then pause for a heartbeat before she pushed herself down on top of him, snatching a strangled cry from his throat, which she smothered with her lips.

Shit. Why had he let her take control of this?

She had sat herself upright now, wriggling her hips until she was comfortable, looking down at him with those liquid blue eyes that travelled over his body making him feel more exposed than he ever had in his life. Those eyes could surely see everything. He felt like his very soul was laid bare before her.

He felt her grind his hips against hers, and then she was moving, slowly at first, dropping her body forwards so her weight was balanced on her hands, taking what she needed from him. He let her. Merlin, he never gave up control like this, but right now he didn't care. She was beautiful and he needed her so badly and if this was how it had to be then he would gladly have surrendered a lot more than just this to her.

He'd hate himself for it later.

As her movements became faster he reached down for her hips, grasping at them with his fingers, moving her against him just a little bit harder. He could feel the warm knot of pleasure building in his abdomen, and he willed himself to stay in control at least of that. He wanted to feel her unravel around him.

She was close, he knew it, but the sight of her on top of him like this, eyes closed, hair curling in messy waves around her shoulders, little whimpers of pleasure falling from her lips, was too much. He needed to at least try and take back some initiative if he wanted to last. Grasping her hips close he rolled her suddenly onto her back, surprised when she let him without resistance. He moved onto his knees, pulling her up into a sitting position with him, relishing how easily he could manipulate her petite frame as their naked bodies moulded together completely for the first time.

_Fuck._

She'd been the one to let out an enchanting little moan of pleasure at that and he kissed her greedily, drinking down more of her moans as he moved their hips rhythmically, the tensing of her muscles telling him just how close she really was. He broke their kisses, allowing her to throw her head back as he dropped more of those messy, wet kisses over her neck and shoulders, feeling her arms squeezing him close as her moans turned into sharp little pants that crescendoed into a cry of ecstasy as she fell over the edge, muscles contracting around him as she ground her hips down onto his, eking out her pleasure. Her eyes were closed and her lips were parted, even as she tilted her head back down, hands clutching at his jaw, lips capturing his in a searing kiss as she started to move against him, pushing him towards his own climax.

"Come for me, Draco."

_Fuck._

Since when did a woman say things like that? The words pushed him over the edge and he felt the warmth in his hips explode into her as waves of pleasure washed over his mind and body, eyes dropping shut as he gave himself over to the most incredible orgasm he'd ever had. The high swirled crazily through his brain, lasting longer than he was expecting, reducing him to a panting, gasping mess as they tumbled backwards onto the bed, kissing frantically.

"Fuck, Madeleine." She had broken the kisses and he blinked at her stupidly, trying to collect his shattered thoughts. He could feel her fingers running soothingly through his hair and he knew he should get up and leave right now, but her scent and her warmth were too intoxicating and his body felt heavy with that post-coital glow.

He reached out to smooth the hair back from her damp forehead, watching her carefully. There was the hint of a smile playing around those wicked lips, a look of contentment suffusing her usually neutral expression.

She really was beautiful.

To his surprise she moved and leaned back over him, her lips trailing soft, sleep-inducing kisses over his jaw and down the side of his neck. He couldn't resist one final dig before sleep took him.

"I didn't realise Gryffindors were filthy in that way."

He felt her snigger against his throat and then to his astonishment she actually ran her tongue up the curve of his neck.

"I didn't realise Slytherins could taste this good," she hissed into his skin, her lips coming back to capture his in one last kiss before she sank down into the pillows with a contented sigh. He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. He really should leave.

Why then was he pulling the blankets up around them, cocooning them in their post-coital warmth? She hummed contentedly and scooted herself against his shoulder. Without really meaning to he found himself looping his arm over her waist and pulling her just a little bit closer before he let blissful, peaceful sleep overtake him.


	4. A Convenient Christmas

**Author's Notes:** Hopefully someone is reading and enjoying this because I really enjoy writing it! :)

* * *

**Chapter 4: A Convenient Christmas**

Some hours later he awoke, taking a moment to realise the reality of his situation. Madeleine's head was still resting against his shoulder. He breathed in her scent and trailed his hand over her back, then froze.

What the hell was he doing?

He had fucked the filthy little Gryffindor and then he had stayed with her. The first was bad enough, the second was unforgivable.

He snatched his hand away, scrabbling backwards and very nearly falling out of the bed in his haste to get away. His movements obviously woke her for she opened those piercing blue eyes and gave him a languid stare.

"Fuck!" He had managed to disentangle himself from the blankets now, and he located his clothes, pulling on shirt and trousers before sitting down on the side of the bed to pull on his shoes and socks. He needed to get out of here as quickly as possible.

The mattress moved underneath him as Madeleine wriggled around, but he ignored it, until a voice hissed in his ear.

"What's the matter, Draco?" The tone suggested that she expected an answer, but it also suggested she already knew what the answer would be. She was toying with him. He was too wound up not to respond.

"Get away from me you filthy blood-traitor," he snapped, dragging his shoe onto his foot more viciously than he intended in his haste to get away.

"Didn't you enjoy yourself? Don't you want to do that again?" she purred. He could feel her warm breath ghosting over his ear she was so close.

Fuck! Why did that voice go straight to his hips and make his muscles there twitch involuntarily?

"No, I did not enjoy it," he snapped untruthfully, flinging himself to his feet and as far away from the bed as he could get in one movement, "That will never happen again, do you hear me? It only happened this time because you kept throwing yourself at me like some filthy little slut."

He had thought that would get a reaction. Anything would have done: anger, resentment, hurt. He'd have even settled for embarrassment. What he got instead was a smirk as she rose to her knees, clutching the sheet in front of her chest to cover her nakedness.

Draco was frantically doing up the buttons on his shirt and trying to pull his school robes on at the same time. He had no watch, but it was still nighttime judging by the darkness outside the windows and the fact that the torches on the walls were still burning with their soft, flickering light. If he hurried he would be able to get back before anyone noticed his bed hadn't been slept in.

He desperately tried to ignore Madeleine as she glided over to the foot of the bed, wrapping her arm around one of the bedposts and regarding him calmly from those liquid blue eyes. Her hair was still sex and sleep mussed, her lips reddened still from their frantic kisses. She looked delectable. Edible.

He could have caved in right then and there and gone back to her for another round.

"Don't you touch me ever again you filthy little Gryffindor," he spat, injecting all the venom he could into his words, as if this would help reinforce his failing willpower.

"Shame," she purred, shifting a little so the sheet fell away and exposed more of that temptingly soft skin, "You were really rather good."

Draco turned and fled.

* * *

He ran down the seven flights of stairs to the dungeon entrance. Mrs Norris spotted him on the way, but he was moving too fast, by the time Filch got there he'd be long gone. He panted out the password to the common room, flung himself through the entrance and into his dormitory, stripping his clothes and climbing into bed. The common room clock had said half past four, at least three hours until the others awoke.

What had he been thinking? Using her for a quick fuck was bad enough, but that had been way more than a quick fuck and he'd stupidly gone and fallen asleep with her afterwards. He'd never even done that with Pansy. Draco did not actually sleep with people. He certainly didn't sleep with filthy blood-traitors.

He should have gone and got in the shower. Should have gone to scrub off all traces of that filthy Gryffindor from his skin. Tried to wipe away the stain of self-loathing that he felt creeping through his being.

He couldn't. His skin smelled of her and even in this moment her scent was soothing, a counterpoint to the horror he was feeling. It lulled him to sleep eventually, though he woke up in the morning feeling just as terrible as when he'd gone to sleep.

* * *

How he got through the next day he never knew. He tried to act normally, but he felt as if the whole world knew his secret and he jumped every time anyone spoke to him. He tried to pull himself together when Blaise commented on his apparent nervousness, but it was difficult, he hadn't felt so anxious since Potter had started hanging around outside the Room of Hidden Things last year.

Eventually he locked himself in a toilet cubicle at lunchtime and spent ten minutes talking himself back into reasonableness. No one knew. Madeleine would not tell anyone of that he was certain, and as for him he would die rather than reveal what he'd done. He practised his Legilimancy, locking down his thoughts, building up barriers against the memory and by the end of it felt more composed. He was Draco Malfoy. He was in control.

After that things were better.

Disgusted as he felt with himself Draco did have to admit that the little tryst with Madeleine seemed to have had the desired effect. It had calmed the lust raging through his body. He felt satisfied and free in a way he hadn't for a while and by the next day he found he could regard Madeleine without his thoughts betraying him.

When he looked at her now he could see more than just her physical beauty, though he tried to pretend to himself that he wasn't at all interested in anything about her. She was intelligent. He'd known that before of course, but he saw it more clearly now. She outshone him in the classes they shared, except potions and muggle studies. Like the other Gryffindors she did absolutely no work in the latter, and in the former she sometimes seemed inclined to just make things up as she went along. Occasionally it worked; sometimes she created nothing more than gunk. Draco found himself oddly fascinated by her technique, though Professor Slughorn regarded her with despair.

He seemed to be fond of her though. All the Professors were. At least, all those who weren't Death Eaters. She had an easy sort of calmness that seemed to endear her to people, though Draco thought her friendliness was often tempered with an edge of coldness. She held something of herself back from everyone but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. She laughed and smiled with her silly little Gyrffindor friends readily enough, but there was always that little sliver of reserve. That part she kept for herself.

Draco felt he understood, though he couldn't for the life of him have said why.

He consoled himself with the thought that at least he was no longer being outshone by a mudblood. At least Madeleine was a pure-blood, even if she was a traitor to her kind.

* * *

A week. A whole week of feeling okay with the world. True, his nights were still haunted by memories of his encounter with Madeleine, and he'd been forced to satisfy himself more than once when the thoughts of that warm skin and those soft lips had become too overwhelming to ignore. By and large though he had made peace with himself. It was only natural that it would still turn him on. She was the last encounter he'd had and his imagination needed something to fixate on. He was a male. He had needs.

He'd half thought of sleeping with Pansy again just to give himself something new to think about, but his stomach had revolted at the thought and he knew it wouldn't work anyway. He was stuck with that filthy Gryffindor in his fantasies. He was going to have to live with that.

Just so long as he didn't touch again.

She didn't seem inclined to touch him either. He barely saw her outside lessons and she'd stopped smirking at him whenever he did see her. Apparently she'd had her fix and that was enough. Had it just been a game to her? As one week turned into two he found his eyes seeking her out more often. He didn't know what he was seeking. A look? A smirk?

Something to let him know that she still knew he existed?

Something to distract him from all the shit in his life?

The second week dragged on and Draco felt himself falling. He tried to resist it but it was like asking a man dying of thirst to resist water. He couldn't do it. He hated himself for it, but there was nothing he could do. The nightmares had come back.

He'd been wrong. One encounter wasn't enough. He needed another.

There was only a week to go now until Christmas and he had no idea whether she was staying or going. He didn't think he'd survive if he didn't have her before then, but she was resolutely ignoring him. He started visiting the room again, but she never appeared. He tried hanging around outside classrooms in the hope that she'd turn up early and he'd be able to… well he didn't know what, but something. Anything to relieve this ridiculous, overpowering urge to kiss her.

He watched her all through transfiguration on Monday, his muscles twitching treacherously each time her lips curved into a smile, each time those soft hands waved through the air as she attempted a wandless spell. She was sitting with Finnigan, laughing at his jokes, looking at him with those piercing blue eyes, touching his arm as they both made a grab for his escaping canary.

Draco felt his stomach twist with envy.

He wanted her touch. He needed her touch.

Insanity was taking him again.

He escaped to the bathroom straight after class, splashing freezing cold water on his face repeatedly as if it might somehow numb the desire that seemed to be creeping back up on him. When it got too much he lent his hands on the basin, bending forwards, letting the cool droplets pool on his lips and eyelashes before they dripped down into the sink.

"You always seem to be trying to drown yourself whenever I see you."

Fuck! It was Madeleine.

Draco grabbed a towel and swiped the water from his face before he turned to look at her.

Merlin, she was gorgeous. Ridiculously blue eyes. Petite curves that begged to be touched. Soft hair, soft lips, soft skin. Soft everything.

Without stopping to consider his actions Draco closed the distance between them, swept her into his arms and kissed her. Kissed her like his life depended on it, because if he didn't get his fix right now he thought he might just lose what little of his sanity was left.

He kissed her until the urge to do something more was nearly overwhelming him and then he released her, breathing hard, his hands coming up to clutch at her jaw, eyes searching her face for some sign of how she felt about this whole thing.

She was smirking. If anything she looked amused.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" he panted, pushing her hair back from her face. "What the hell are you doing to me? You should have been in Slytherin."

"If I was in Slytherin, do you think I'd have been brave enough to try and seduce the infamous Draco Malfoy?" Her head was tilted to the side in that ridiculously attractive way, but even so Draco couldn't let her get away with that one.

"You haven't seduced me," he snapped, the fact that his lips were mere inches from hers rather making a mockery of his words.

"Really?" She flicked her tongue over her lips as they curved into a wicked grin and Draco groaned, his hands gripping her face tighter as he pulled her into another searing kiss.

She broke it all too soon.

"What happened to not touching the filthy Gryffindor?" she asked, clearly still amused at his behaviour. Draco growled at her in annoyance and pulled away, shoving his hands behind his back. She was right. He wasn't supposed to be touching her. Something about her completely destroyed his willpower and knocked a hole in his prejudices without him even realising it was happening.

He didn't want to be reminded of that right now.

All he wanted right now was to kiss her. And then maybe something else.

Not here though.

Without his permission his hands were reaching for her again, slipping over her waist and down to her perfectly shaped bottom, grabbing hold and pulling her hips into his even as he slammed her up against the door behind. He could hear himself panting as he looked down into her eyes. That carefully neutral expression had returned.

"Tonight," she breathed. It was barely more than a whisper but he caught it, nodded and released her, allowing her to slip out of the bathroom door and away.

Tonight.

All he had to do was wait that long.

It seemed like a lifetime away.

* * *

When he arrived at the room late that evening Madeleine was already there. Apparently she'd worked out how to get in.

He tried to feign disinterest in her for the first few seconds, slightly embarrassed by the entire situation. Apparently she was above awkwardness though for she walked up to him and looped her arms around his neck like it was the most natural thing in the world and he found himself kissing her roughly, snatching at her clothes before he'd even stopped to consider what he was doing.

She matched him with kisses and touches that equalled his own desire. Nails scratching at his skin, teeth latching on to his flesh, they marked each other more than once in their desperation to feel, taste and experience as much of each other as physically possible. It was exhilarating. She was exhilarating.

Draco felt more alive than he had in a long time.

They stripped each other naked, tumbled onto the bed and locked their hips together, building quickly into a rhythm that would take them where they needed to be. Draco held back, waiting until her eyes snapped shut and her throaty moans told her she was close before he gave a few quick strokes that sent her fully over the edge and then made his own release explode through his body, blurring his vision and cleansing his body in one great wave of ecstatic relief.

He'd needed this.

Her eyes were open, watching him, her fingers absently trailing patterns on his back as he collapsed down on top of her. She dropped some light kisses on his lips, already apparently back in control of herself, or perhaps too wrapped up in the afterglow of her climax to really care what she was doing. Already she had fallen back onto the pillows and her eyes were fluttering closed.

He pulled the covers up around them and watched her until her regularly breathing told him she was asleep.

Why did that matter? Why hadn't he just left straight away?

Once he was sure she wouldn't wake he crept out the bed and dressed himself quickly. She shifted slightly as he shrugged on his school robes and he found himself drawn back to her, combing his fingers briefly through her hair before he left.

He felt better about the whole thing this time.

He had fucked her and he had left. None of that silly nonsense from last time. This, he felt, he could cope with.

Apparently so could she.

His one qualm about leaving had been that she might resent it, that she might now withhold herself from him, just as he had admitted to himself that there definitely needed to be further repeats of the experience.

On Thursday she had calmed that anxiety by dragging him back into Snape's old office after potions, kissing him until his head was spinning and leaving with one final word.

"Tonight."

He spent the rest of the day trying to pretend he wasn't practically drunk on anticipation.

It was very much the same as Monday night. He had turned up to find her already there, kissed her like he couldn't get enough, stripped her naked and taken what he needed. He told himself that he only gave her what she needed first because she looked so bloody alluring when she came. It wasn't unselfishness on his part. He didn't care whether she enjoyed it.

So long as she came back for more.

He'd left again once she was sleeping and spent the night wondering if she was leaving tomorrow for the Christmas holidays. Fearing that she was going to take away the one thing that could have got him through the empty two weeks ahead.

He should have just bloody asked her.

* * *

He mooched around in the Slytherin Common Room the next day after the others had left. Not many had stayed. There were a couple of first year Slytherins, shooting terrified glances at him across the room, and that awful sixth year student who'd transferred from Durmstrang. Draco didn't like him and avoided looking at him as much as possible.

Draco missed his parents, but he wasn't sorry he had stayed at school. The idea of Christmas at home with _him_ and the Death Eaters hanging around was so gut wrenchingly awful that not even his desire to see his mother and let her know he was all right could outweigh it. His nightmares were getting worse again and he was starting to suffer from the lack of sleep. The screams of Cruciatus Curse torture victims and the moans of Ollivander in the cellar haunted him now.

He wished he could escape his own mind.

He skipped lunch. He couldn't stand the thought of going down and finding her not there at the Gryffindor table. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself she wouldn't be, part of him was still hoping. Two weeks without her to relieve his waking nightmare was going to torture his soul.

The empty feeling in his stomach forced him to face his fear at dinner. He entered the Great Hall to find to his surprise that the house tables had been removed. Instead there was one single table stretched widthways across the hall, seated at which were both Professors and students of all houses.

The Carrows were noticeably absent, as was Snape, though Draco doubted the latter had left over the holidays. In fact Draco saw only Flitwick, McGonagall, Slughorn, Sinistra and Sprout grouped in the centre of the table. The other seats were taken by students.

There were surprisingly few. Or maybe not surprising. At times like these families wanted their children close.

"Sit anywhere, Malfoy." That was McGonagall. He'd spent too long staring at the strange set up.

Self-consciously he slipped into a seat near the end of the table, wondering why anyone would have thought this was a good idea and trying out various strategies in his head to get food without having to submit himself to this daily torture.

A familiar voice assaulted his ears and he turned, noticing for the first time who was sat next to Sprout, engaged in a very animated conversation about Herbology.

_Madeleine._

Maybe not torture after all.

He tried to resist the smile that tugged at his lips, especially when she turned, caught his eye and smirked at him. He had no idea why she hadn't gone home for the holidays, but he didn't really care.

His eyes swept the table with renewed interest. Apart from his fellow Slytherins there were a couple of Ravenclaw fourth years, two tiny Gryffindor first years and a small gaggle of Hufflepuffs of varying ages, but he and Madeleine were the only seventh years left.

Even better.

He didn't know why that was better. He cursed the treachery of his brain that had thought that. He didn't want Madeleine outside of their secret room. He didn't need any more interaction with her. So why did the fact that they were the only older students left fill him with anticipation?

Apart from that Durmstrang boy of course. Draco's eyes fell on him now. He was looking at Madeleine, and Draco didn't like the look in his eyes at all. He was admiring her as if she was a piece of meat he wanted to savour. She hadn't noticed but Draco felt that twinge in his stomach as he realised the boy was regrettably handsome, if it hadn't been for the fact that his eyes and mouth were cruel and calculating.

The boy turned and met Draco's eyes, his lips twisting into a malicious smirk which Draco didn't like any better than the look he'd been giving Madeleine. He ripped his gaze away and clutched his fork tightly, willing himself not to get up and punch the slimy git in the mouth right there at the dinner table.

When he had composed himself enough to look back the boy had returned his gaze to Madeleine, and Draco narrowed his eyes murderously.

Touch her and you die.

I don't share.

* * *

Draco got through the weekend by getting his holiday homework out of the way and spending a long time flying over the lake, relishing the crisp, cold air. It was Christmas Eve tomorrow, but Draco wasn't particularly looking forward to it. He'd hardly seen Madeline all weekend, apart from at meals. His nightmares were also worsening and he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand them.

When he came down to dinner on the Sunday the table was already nearly full. He took a seat on the bench next to Professor Slughorn and looked around the table. Madeleine was not here, and he noticed with a thrill that there was only one empty space, and it was next to him. The only downside was that Durmstrang idiot, Darren, was sat on the other side of the space.

He looked like he was about to engage Draco in conversation so Draco resolutely ignored him and asked Professor Slughorn what they were studying next term. Slughorn didn't much like him Draco knew, but he seemed gratified by this sudden interest in his classes and started to expound on the potions they would be making.

Draco listened with half an ear. He didn't much care. His heartbeat was counting the seconds until Madeleine came in.

He didn't have to wait long. She entered, looking ridiculously stunning in her casual blue dress and after a moment's evaluation of the seating arrangements slid onto the bench next to him.

Her scent assaulted his nostrils, and he felt his heartbeat increase in response to her closeness. She was so close their arms were almost touching. He tried to listen to Slughorn's monologue with increased attention just to keep his mind focussed. How the hell did she do that to him?

And why was he starting to relish the way she made him feel?

"What?" His head snapped round. She'd just spoken to him, but he'd been so busy trying to concentrate on Slughorn that he hadn't heard.

"Here you are, dear." Slughorn was passing her a bowl of potatoes that was right in front of him. She'd obviously asked one of them to pass it to her, though Draco couldn't be sure who she'd been addressing.

"Professor, did I hear you say we were going to be making a Wiggenweld Potion next term?" To his horror she leaned round him and addressed Professor Slughorn directly, encouraging him to launch into further explanation. She seemed to be listening with close attention and she also seemed to be sliding along the bench towards him.

Draco didn't know if she was doing it on purpose or without thinking. He also didn't know if it was making him miserable or thrilling him to the core. Their shoulders were very nearly pressed together now, and Draco was just considering that this was starting to look embarrassing when Madeleine spoke.

"Excuse me, would you mind moving up please?" It took him a few seconds to realise she wasn't talking to him, but to Darren on her other side, who seemed to have invaded her space considerably. Draco let out a sigh of relief as she slid back down the bench and left him to try and calm his racing heart.

Slughorn had ceased talking and Draco concentrated on eating. That little episode had not done his body any favours. He was now seriously fighting the urge to just slip his arm around Madeleine's waist and pull her into what could be an extremely pleasurable kiss. Except for the fact that they'd be doing it in front of the whole school.

What was left of it anyway. He wondered if an Obliviate spell would work on them all.

Draco's musings on this matter were interrupted when Maddie suddenly gave a little whimper of horror. He heard her quiet gasp of, "He's touching me!" a millisecond before her body slammed against his as she slid along the bench and she scrambled up, her hands grabbing desperately at him, using his shoulders as leverage to leap over the bench and come to a standstill behind him.

Confused he yanked his shoulder away from her hand, which was still lingering there, and stared at her. She looked embarrassed. It was the first time he'd ever seen her look anything other than composed outside of a bed. Her cheeks were flushed, yet her eyes were angry. She was glaring at Darren, who had far too much of a smug look on his face for Draco's liking.

"Madeleine! What on earth is going on?" McGonagall had obviously been as surprised as he was at her sudden manhandling of him, but Draco was too busy resisting the urge to hex Darren with the worst spell he knew to really pay attention.

"Sorry, Professor!" Madeleine gasped, smoothing her features back into their usual composure, "I think a spider must have run up my leg." Her eyes still held a look of complete mortification and they flicked briefly to Draco's. She'd lied! Why the hell wasn't she saying anything? Why had she lied?

Draco made a split second decision, pushed himself along the bench towards Darren, opening up the space by Slughorn, and switched his and Madeleine's plates around. He glared at McGonagall as Madeleine shot him a grateful look and took her new seat, daring the daft old bat to question what he'd just done. Exactly how stupid was she?

It seemed she decided not to say anything, because apart from a raised eyebrow she ignored it and turned away, giving Draco the perfect opportunity to draw his wand and press it into Darren's ribcage.

He saw the other boy's eyes widen in horror as he lent over and hissed, "That is disgusting. Try that again and you'll see exactly what sort of hexes the Dark Lord teaches his followers." It was a pretty stupid threat. Draco did not like the reminder of what he technically was, but in this situation he was willing to make an exception.

"Malfoy, is there a problem?" McGonagall had apparently returned her attention to him, though he knew she couldn't have heard his words. He was forced to subside; satisfied by the terrified look he had induced in Darren's eyes.

"No problem, Professor," he said pleasantly, stowing his wand discretely back in his robes, "Just having a chat with Darren about the importance of good manners at the dinner table." He smiled blankly at McGonagall, which seemed to disturb her for she frowned thoughtfully and looked away, her eyes darting to Madeleine as she did so.

They both ate their meals in silence after that and Draco escaped as soon as possible, counting the hours until it was late enough to go to the Room of Hidden Things.

She'd be there.

He knew it.

* * *

He arrived first that evening and amused himself poking about in the junk until she arrived. He wondered vaguely what sort of state she'd be in after earlier. Would she be upset? Angry? Certainly she'd been embarrassed before; embarrassed enough that she hadn't wanted to say that someone had just tried to shove their hand up her skirt.

What would he do if she cried?

_Leave,_ said the Slytherin inside of him. He wasn't here to deal with weepy, over emotional little Gryffindors.

He resolutely ignored the part of him that said otherwise, though he was relieved when she finally arrived looking as composed and calm as ever and didn't put his resolution to the test.

"Hello, Draco." Her lips curved into a smile at the sight of him. A smile that set Draco's insides fluttering in a ridiculous way.

She hadn't been sure he'd be there.

_Stupid little Gryffindor._

The distance between them was closed in the space of two heartbeats and then her soft fingers were latching on to his jaw, pulling his face towards her till their lips were inches apart. The intensity in her expression roused something in Draco and he found himself speaking before he could help himself.

"If that scumbag touches you again I'll hex him into next week," he growled, winding an arm around her waist possessively.

Madeleine's eyes darkened, "No, if he touches me again, I'll hex him into next month. I didn't have my wand with me at dinner, otherwise he wouldn't have been walking away from there." She frowned for a second and then her eyes cleared, her expression returning to its usual calmness before she smirked up at him. "Why do you care anyway?"

"I don't share," he growled, pulling her closer and tangling his other hand in her hair. He savoured the second of anticipation before he kissed her. There was still passion and longing in that kiss, but it was less frantic than those they had shared recently.

Draco really didn't care. Tonight she was his and he was going to enjoy her.

* * *

Once they had exhausted themselves, Draco lay watching Madeleine as she drifted off to sleep, fighting to keep himself from giving in to his own fatigue. The sex tonight had been more like it was the first time, still heated with fervent desire, but somehow slower and more careful. That was bad enough. Staying would make it even worse.

She was just a convenient fuck.

_Blood traitor._

He hissed the words between his teeth again, urging himself to remember that she was not his friend. That he did not care. That she was just a filthy little Gryffindor who for some reason had decided she would have sex with him.

He was using her.

He wondered vaguely if she was using him to.

Was he her convenient fuck?

His insides twisted at that thought and he scrambled out of bed, dressing hastily and fleeing the room almost as fast as he had on that fateful night last year.

Did it matter if he was?

His Malfoy pride surged within him as he wrapped himself in the comforting familiarity of his Slytherin bed. Yes, it did. He was no one's convenient fuck. He would not be used by some cheap little Gryffindor to get her kicks.

Next day was Christmas Eve.

He didn't even look at her.


	5. A New Year

**Author's Notes: **Thank you gotham-creeper for your review. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story, and my other one, Take Me There.

I'll be posting an update to that one soon. In the meantime here is the next chapter of Seduction.

* * *

**Chapter 5: A New Year**

He woke Christmas Eve night slick with sweat, heart pounding, reaching for he didn't know what to comfort him. There was nothing there. No one. He was alone with the after images of Rowle's tortured face and _his_ hideous laugh. He didn't know what time it was, but he lit his wand and lay awake until he managed to soothe his mind with images of that forbidden Gryffindor girl whose touch calmed his tortured soul and whose kiss could chase away his nightmares.

Christmas Day dawned cold and clear. There was a present at the foot of his bed, which he knew would be from his parents. He opened it without much sense of anticipation.

It didn't feel like Christmas.

In the parcel was a cloak. Black, hooded, ridiculously light. According to the label it was imbued with both a warming charm and a repelling charm to keep off the rain. It was probably hideously expensive, and it was more or less to Draco's taste. The problem was it reminded him of the uniform of the Death Eaters.

With a sigh he folded it neatly and stowed it away in his trunk.

He'd stick with his muggle coat.

The irony of that was not lost on him.

* * *

Breakfast that morning was odd. Despite everything the younger students were clearly excited about Christmas and the Professors were obviously doing their best to make it a nice day for them. Draco just didn't feel like it though. He ate a quick breakfast and escaped to the grounds.

His heart ached for his parents.

Mostly for his mother.

What was she doing now? How would she be feeling without him there on Christmas day? What was the Dark Lord doing to them both? Were they safe? Was he safe? Was anywhere safe anymore?

What was going to happen to him?

It was all very well staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, but at some point he was going to have to face the reality of his life again. Going to have to face him.

At some point everything he'd ever done was going to explode in his face.

Draco didn't know what he hoped that blast would destroy anymore.

Eventually he pulled his broomstick out of the shed and took off into the calm skies, hoping to sooth his mind of the questions raging around his head. Up here he could tuck himself back in his little fantasy of Hogwarts and pretend life was normal.

Pretend it was normal that he had been sleeping with a filthy little Gryffindor girl.

He had been intending to skip lunch, but cold and hunger drove him back to the broomstick shed to put his Nimbus away before he went inside.

There was someone in there. Someone who approached him from the shadows and wrapped their arm around his waist, bringing her lips close to his ear in the shadowy darkness of the shed.

_Madeleine._

"Meet me tonight, Draco."

"Why?"

Even in the darkness what little light there was seemed to have pooled in her piercing blue eyes. They shimmered as she looked at him, betraying no hint of surprise, though he certainly felt some himself at his asking of the question.

"Because it's Christmas, Draco, and Christmas is supposed to be fun."

Draco gave a derisive snort. "I'm not your plaything, Madeleine. I'm not here for your convenience."

He heard her snigger as she moved her lips so they were just an inch away from his and she could look him in the eyes.

"You're not really very convenient are you, Draco?" she said matter of factly, "Neither am I. But you _are_ very good in bed. Now are you going to meet me or not?"

He couldn't really answer because her lips were on his, kissing him with an intensity that nearly took his breath away. If he had been going to say no before, he certainly wasn't after that kiss.

Besides he was quite pleased by her comment, even whilst telling himself he didn't care what her opinion was of him.

"See you later, Draco." She had pulled away and was gone, her words suggesting that she'd assumed he was going to say yes, despite the fact that he hadn't replied.

_Arrogant Gryffindor._

* * *

The rest of the day was spent in aimless wanderings. With nothing and no one to entertain him, Draco found his thoughts veering wildly between despair at his situation, and stomach tensing anticipation of tonight. Madeleine was in his head and under his skin and he didn't know why.

She was beautiful.

She was fascinating.

_She was a filthy Gryffindor blood traitor._

The words hardened Draco's resolve. He would use her until he didn't need her anymore.

He wasn't sure when that might be.

Resolve to use her and discard her seemed only to last as long as he wasn't in her company.

* * *

When she entered the room late that night, bringing with her the scent of Christmas, her brilliant red dress skimming loosely over her curves Draco found himself admiring her more openly than he really should have, drinking in her scent with those familiar undertones of cherry blossom as he let her fingers wander over the contours of his face, coaxing little tingles from his skin everywhere they touched.

_Tantalising._

He savoured the moments of calm serenity before he dipped his head and kissed her, his lips gently brushing hers before he pulled away.

She tasted like Christmas.

Tasted of everything this day should have been and hadn't.

It stirred up passion within him and set his soul on fire.

"Madeleine."

He savoured the shape of her name on his lips, surrendering himself to this moment.

This, he decided, was his Christmas present to himself. A few hours of blissful abandon with the fiery Gryffindor girl who seemed to be able to make him whole again.

"Draco." She breathed his name across his lips, sending a shudder down his spine before they kissed. Kisses that deepened quickly and built to the heady heights of passion as their tongues tangled and her teeth grazed his lower lip, nibbling and sucking on his flesh like he was something to be tasted.

_Savoured._

He felt her fingers catch on the hem of his jumper and broke the kisses so she could tug it over his head, exposing his skin and letting her run her fingernails over his torso in the way that made his breath catch and his muscles tighten. He did the same with her dress before he resumed their kisses.

Her hand tangled in his hair and her other set to work on the fastening of his trousers. He pushed it away and instead lifted her, carrying her semi naked form to the bed where he lay her down, stripped himself down to his underwear and then crawled over her, placing greedy, open-mouthed kisses over her pale skin, relishing her taste and the little whimpers of pleasure she produced in response to his attentions. When he finally removed her bra and let his tongue flick over the sensitive flesh of her nipples she arched her back pushing herself closer and he heard his own moan of longing slip past his throat as he enveloped it with his lips, sucking and nipping at the rosy flesh, his hand running over her curves, touching every inch of her skin that he could reach.

_Intoxicating._

He felt like he was drunk on her. Drunk on the way her soft curves felt under his hands. Drunk on the scent of her skin. Drunk on her sheer, unbelievable perfection.

He groaned against her chest before he trailed his kisses lower, reaching the line of her underwear and removing it swiftly so he could kiss down her thighs, then back up, ghosting his lips over the warmth of the flesh between her legs, breathing in the heady scent of her pheromones and trying to decide whether he could wait much longer to experience her more closely.

It seemed though that she had decided it was time for her to take control, for she pushed him suddenly to the side, yanking down his boxers and discarding them, practically clawing at his naked skin as she trailed her lips, nails and teeth over his flesh. She reached his neck. He could feel she was sucking hard enough to leave marks, but right now he didn't really care. Her hand reached down and gripped his erection.

_Fuck!_

Draco nearly shot off the bed as her fingers wrapped around his length and she rubbed her thumb over the tip, lips curving into a smirk as he groaned and tried to reach for her hips.

"Madeleine."

Oh Merlin, she wasn't going to give in to that. Bloody stubborn Gryffindor who wanted to be in control. She had positioned herself now so his length was rubbing between her thighs, a wicked smirk playing over her lips as she teased him until he couldn't stand it any longer.

"Fuck!"

With a desperate growl he launched himself towards her, snatching at her shoulders, pushing her onto her back and positioning himself so he was kneeling between her thighs. She was light, light enough that when he pulled on her legs she slipped easily onto his lap, still lying on her back, latching her legs around his torso as he lent forwards to position himself ready to push inside her.

"Draco." His name fell quietly from her lips as she closed her eyes in anticipation.

Unlike her he didn't have the willpower left to tease anymore. He pushed inside her with one long stroke, tilting his body to get the best angle before he dropped back into a kneeling position and grabbed at her hips, holding them in place as he started to thrust inside her.

Merlin he loved fucking like this. It was so deep, so tight. He could see by her face that he was hitting that sensitive spot below her stomach and she was looking at him, eyes wide, as if she had never been fucked like this before. He wondered vaguely if she had.

Maybe she had because she was a fucking expert at this as well. The thrust of his hips was causing her to move on the bed and she raised her arms above her head, slamming them against the headboard to hold herself in place. Then she unwound her legs from his waist, raising them up to his shoulders, hooking her ankles there and tipping him forwards onto his hands so her knees were drawn up to her chest and his hands were supporting him either side of his body.

_Fuck!_

He had never felt anything like this before. So deep. So tight. He really was not going to last like this.

Neither was she. He watched her eyes drop shut as he thrust forwards and she hissed through her teeth as he hit her most sensitive spot harder than before. A few more strokes and he could feel her tightening around him, incomprehensible sounds falling from her lips as she drew nearer her climax.

There was a moment when he hung tantalisingly on the verge of his own release and then she unravelled under him, her muscles clamping almost unbearably around his length, pushing him over the edge as she climaxed hard and he went along with her, swearing and gasping as the world seemed to explode behind his eyelids, his vision blurring and his head spinning as his orgasm thundered through his body.

_Incredible._

She wrapped her legs back around his hips, breathing hard as he dropped down onto the bed and clutched wildly at her. He didn't know what he needed right now but it involved her warmth and her lips, and he kissed her hard, compelled by instincts that no longer seemed to be a part of him

When he pulled away she was still wide eyed and flushed, whimpering in a way that suggested she hadn't quite come back to herself yet. He'd never seen her lose control for quite so long before.

_Enchanting._

He kissed her again because he really couldn't help it, telling himself that he could stop anytime. He wasn't getting carried away by that post-coital closeness.

_Liar._

Their kisses reduced in intensity until they were barely ghosting their lips together, her hand woven possessively into his hair, his arm draped lazily over her waist. She lay down on the pillows as she usually did and he drew the covers around her. It had never been harder for him to leave, and he waited longer, unwilling to head back to his bed and to the nightmares that probably awaited him there.

Eventually though when sleep threatened to take him for the second time he jerked himself awake and sat up in the bed, swinging his legs out from under the covers.

"Stay."

Had she woken up or had she never really been asleep?

"What?" Draco subsided slightly in his attempts, unable to quite believe what he was hearing.

"Stay." She sounded sleepy, but insistent. One hand snaked out to slide around his waist.

"Why?" he whispered. He was chewing vaguely on his lower lip now, fighting to steady himself. Fighting to keep his resolve to leave.

"Because you have nightmares, Draco." She sounded more awake now, and her hand was sliding up his torso to his chest, pressing him insistently back into the bed. "And no one should be alone with their nightmares on Christmas Day."

He found himself letting her ease him back onto the pillows, and he didn't resist when she scooted nearer, though not near enough that they were touching. She was so warm, and he was so sleepy, and she was right. He did have nightmares. He didn't want to be alone.

"How do you know?" He couldn't resist asking the question, quietly, almost hesitantly. Did he really want the answer?

"You always look tired, Draco, more tired than you should." He could feel her hand caressing his cheek and he wrapped his fingers around it gently, drawing it away and placing it down on the bed in between them. Her gesture was too intimate he told himself, a step too far. He felt her go to pull her hand away and clutched at it harder.

That was probably a step too far as well, but he really didn't care.

* * *

Her scent. It was everywhere.

Draco woke up confused and disorientated, the memories of last night slowly filtering through his brain as he stirred into wakefulness. He reached out a hand.

She wasn't there.

_Shit._

It was bad enough that he had stayed, if she had been the one to leave he didn't think he'd be able to stand it.

"Good morning." It was her. He rolled over and saw her standing a few steps away from the bed, already dressed, though still barefoot. His pride came trickling back.

She drifted back over to the bed and knelt down besides it, bringing her face level with his as he lay on the pillows. He knew he should get up, but it was warm and comfortable and he had just had the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time.

"What time is it?"

"Eight o'clock. If we don't get up we'll miss breakfast."

"You're already up," he said ruefully, wondering now whether she would have left if he hadn't happened to wake.

"I could always come back to bed." There was that smirk again. The one that did funny things to Draco's brain.

"No!" He shot upright, hearing her snigger as she rose to her feet and started pulling on her shoes. That was too far. Having sex he could just about cope with. Sleeping with her for the night was questionable. Actually having her get back in bed with him right now would be a step way too far.

_A very nice step_, his treacherous brain told him.

"See you at breakfast, Draco." Whilst he'd been staring blankly in horror at the opposite wall she had apparently gone to the door of the room. With a final smirk she exited, leaving Draco to fall back on the mattress and run his fingers through his hair in despair.

What the hell was he doing?

* * *

Half an hour later he was showered and heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. There were only a few people left and there was no sign of Madeleine anywhere, but that was fine. He needed to keep away from her anyway. He sat right at the end of the table, where there were only two silly little Gryffindor first years to disturb his peace.

Both of them looked terrified the moment they saw him and seemed to be trying to edge along the bench. He ignored their frantic whisperings, helped himself to some toast and watched in amusement as they seemed to decide they wouldn't bother finishing their breakfasts.

They were rising to leave when a figure appeared besides them. It was Madeleine. Who else would it have been, Draco thought bitterly. She was everywhere.

"It's all right, sit down," he heard her murmur to the two, not loudly enough for the Professors to hear. Her hand was on the shoulder of the nearest girl, pressing her back down into her seat as Madeleine slipped onto the bench next to her.

With Madeleine's presence to apparently protect them the girls subsided and resumed their breakfast. Draco risked a glance at Madeleine and caught her eye. She looked amused and her eyes flicked briefly to his before her attention was taken by the girls next to her.

"Will you teach us to play wizarding chess properly after breakfast?" one was saying and Madeleine nodded her ascent.

Typical bloody Gryffindor.

Always being nice, always bothering about other people. Why would anyone want to bother their head about first years? All they did was get in the way.

Draco ate his breakfast as quickly as possible after that, needing to get away from those alluring eyes and the wicked curve of those lips. It was raining too hard to go flying today so he retired to the common room with a book and lazed away the time until the evening. He was bored, but it was a kind of peaceful boredom today, one without any of the disturbing doubts and fears that were usually fuelled by his nightmares. He hadn't had one last night.

She chased them away.

* * *

He went back to the room that night and inevitably she was there. Inevitably he stayed till morning and this time woke up still clutching at her hand. He was beginning to give up thinking about the sense in this. With the castle empty for Christmas and what was left of the school sitting down to meals together all dressed in muggle clothes, which did away with the differences of their house uniforms, Draco felt like his real life was a very long way away.

* * *

The next few nights passed swiftly until it was the night before New Years Eve. He'd stayed in the Room of Hidden Things every night since Christmas, and though on one of the days Madeleine hadn't been there, he had been happy enough to fall asleep in the bed they shared, surrounded by her scent and the memory of her warmth. It kept his nightmares away, even without her there.

She was here tonight though and she was doing that thing again that he adored. Winding her arms around his shoulders and head, one hand laced through his hair to hold him in place as she pressed her body to his and tipped her head back, forcing him to bend his neck to keep kissing her, letting her practically hang of him as she licked and sucked on his lips in a way that sent sparks of pleasure shooting though his brain.

So confident.

So alluring.

So bloody sexy.

He'd taken to winding his arms around her waist and dipping their heads further, forcing her to bend her spine until she gave up and hopped up into his arms, letting him lift her up so she could clutch at his face and kiss him until he couldn't think straight and he surrendered himself to the passion of the moment.

He'd never had sex like it.

He'd never even imagined sex like it.

She was sensual, passionate, confident to the extreme and completely in control until that one wild moment when she would let go entirely and let her climax engulf her. She always came back quickly. Sometimes he could feel her watching him as he sought his own release. He'd given up feeling uncomfortable about that. The enchanting, almost hungry look in her eyes in those moments was sometimes all that was needed for their movements to unlock his own release and let another all-consuming orgasm surge through his body.

Intense.

Overwhelming.

Draco couldn't remember when he'd last felt this alive.

His fucked up life seemed a very long way away nights like these.

Afterwards they had laid together, Draco lacing his fingers through her hair, watching in fascination as the dark strands slipped over his pale skin, her drawing lazy patterns over his chest. They didn't speak much either before or after sex usually, but the intense look in Madeleine's eyes was enough for Draco. He didn't know what it was enough of, perhaps just enough of her.

Was that even possible?

With a sigh he slipped his arm around her waist and gathered her close to him, settling her into his shoulder. She let him do it, wriggling around until she was resting comfortably against him. Her warmth thrilled him in a way he could not have described if his life depended on it. He shouldn't let her fall asleep like that. He was getting too close, too involved, but the pull of her warmth was so strong that he just couldn't resist. He let his eyes flutter closed and woke up in the morning to find her still there.

* * *

New Years Eve passed much like the rest of the days. Though the rain had now stopped there was an icy bite to the air that made it unpleasant and Draco alternated between reading in the common room and wandering around the castle with no destination in mind.

He'd done this most days since Christmas. A few times on his travels he'd met Madeleine and whilst sometimes she just passed by him with a smirk, sometimes she would grab his arm, pull him into the nearest empty room and wrap her arms around him, waiting until he caved in and kissed her. He always caved in, though he knew he shouldn't.

It was the best part of his day.

* * *

There was a party of sorts on New Years Eve.

Professor Flitwick was going to put on a fireworks display at midnight, and the younger students were allowed to stay up and watch it this year. It was normally just for the older ones, but there were so few this year that the Professors had just decided to let everyone attend. Draco knew they were all together in the Great Hall playing some silly games. He wondered if Madeleine was there, but there was no way he was going to join them.

What was the point in pretending everything was normal and happy?

He tried to ignore the fact that he was doing just that anyway.

Despite his reservations though he did decide, as midnight drew nearer, that he might as well go and look at the fireworks. He knew there was no point going to the Room of Hidden Things tonight. Madeleine had told him, during one of their very brief conversations, that she would be watching the fireworks herself.

He shrugged on his muggle coat over his jumper and made his way slowly to the entrance hall, wondering if he would be able to watch them without being seen, a hope that was dashed when he arrived just at the same time as Madeleine descended the stairs.

"Are you going to watch the fireworks?" she asked, eyes as calm as ever. She was, he noticed, wrapped up against the cold in her usual elegant way, in a well cut coat and a hat that made her look adorably cute. No gloves though.

Silly Gryffindor.

He ignored the fact that he'd forgotten his too and gave a curt nod in answer to her question, turning and heading out the door before she could say anything else. It was one thing to fall asleep with her at night in their secret room, and it was thrilling to kiss her in odd parts of the practically deserted castle, but the urge to wrap her in his arms right now was almost too strong to resist, and to do that would have been another matter entirely.

Too close.

Filthy little blood traitor.

He realised with a jolt that it had been a long time since he'd thought those words. They tasted nasty in this little fantasy world that wasn't the real life Hogwarts. When she followed behind him anyway in spite of his silence, he didn't complain.

Outside he could see the knot of students and Professors standing at the edge of the lawns, but he felt no compunction to join them. He didn't belong with them now anymore than he had earlier. He had once upon a time, and it tugged at his heart to realise that even in this fantasy Hogwarts he was still an outsider from most of it.

It was partly his own fault.

He didn't think he'd ever admitted that before.

With an odd feeling of melancholy he turned and entered the fountain gardens, sticking to the dark and winding paths until he came to a little area, shielded slightly from the main paths by the bushes and shrouded in complete darkness. Even if someone walked right past he wouldn't be seen here.

Someone knew he was there though. Someone who had followed him from the Entrance Hall to here.

"Do you have a watch?" Madeleine was standing next to him, already tilting her face to the sky in anticipation of the fireworks.

"No," he told her, somewhat frostily. He did have a watch, a very expensive watch, but his weight had yo-yoed so much over the last couple of years that he never knew from one day to the next whether the thing would actually fit properly or whether it would just be far too big around his wrist. He'd given up wearing it.

"How will we know when its midnight?" She was watching him now, her gaze steady, even as he bristled under her questioning.

"Why don't you go and join the others if you're so worried about it?" He wasn't at all sure whether he wanted her there or not. His earlier urge to wrap her in his arms was still there and he was desperately trying to resist it. A large part of his mind though wanted to be alone tonight. Wanted to drown in the melancholy of his own turbulent thoughts.

She didn't react, just shifted her weight slightly and pulled back her coat sleeve to check her own watch.

"Why were you asking if you had a watch anyway?" he said testily. The question earned him a smirk, but nothing else and he found himself wishing she would just go away. She was too perfect. A reminder of everything his life was not.

"There's only a minute to go," she informed him.

He made a non-committal noise at this piece of information and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked taller, he realised, and he found himself glancing at her feet to see that she was indeed wearing a pair of ridiculously high-heeled boots that came up over her jeans to just below her knees. He'd never seen her in anything but flat shoes before. How the hell did she walk in those?

She was looking at him again, noting his expression and he quickly tore his eyes away to look back up at the sky.

"Draco." Madeleine had stepped closer and her hand was cupping his cheek, her fingers cold, but sill soft and her eyes bright as she tugged on his head and forced him to look at her. She moved closer still, her eyes fluttering closed and her lips parting as she tilted her face to his, inviting him to kiss her. She wasn't teasing this time, wasn't testing his patience for her own amusement, she was just offering herself to him with an alluring charm that made his breath catch in his throat.

He wanted to kiss her.

He wanted to so badly he thought his sanity might snap if he didn't give into the urge.

He fought with himself for long seconds, counted in heartbeats. Two… three… He raised his hand to her face and caught her lips with his as the first of the fireworks burst overhead.

It was a kiss like none of the others they had shared. Tender, almost tentative, deepening as he became surer of himself, though never losing its gentleness. He realised in that kiss that he was glad she was here. He didn't want to drown in his own head; he wanted to drown in her. Submerge himself in her and never resurface.

When the kiss broke she gave him an almost rueful smile and removed her hand from his cheek, upturning her face to the sky so she could watch the rest of the fireworks. He hesitated for just a second and then took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together as they looked at the sky.

"I thought your hand might be cold," he said softly, in response to her enquiring look. When he risked a look of his own he saw that she was staring upwards again, the faint hint of a smile of her lips.

They watched silently for many minutes, standing there side by side with their hands clasped together, until the last of the fireworks faded in the sky. When they were done Madeleine made no sign that she was going to move, so Draco was happy to stay put, studying the lines of her face as she continued to stare up into the sky.

"Look, there's your constellation," she said finally after another undisturbed minute had ticked by.

Draco glanced upwards at the dragon constellation and smiled. How many times had he looked at that with his mother when he was younger? That his namesake hung in the sky for all to see had rather appealed to his vanity when he had been small.

The sound of voices on the path interrupted his musings. Someone was calling Madeleine's name, and he was pretty sure it was the two young Gryffindors. There was the sound of footsteps running down the path and he made as if to move away, but Madeleine tightened her grip on his hand and he stayed put. The footsteps and voices passed: their hiding place had not been discovered.

"They seem to like you," he said, mostly for something to say.

Madeleine laughed. An actual proper, genuine laugh. "They're just kids. I feel a bit sorry for them, stuck here over Christmas with only each other. They've just latched on to me because I happen to be around when no one else is. That and the fact that I gave them a huge box of French sweets my uncle sent me for Christmas. He always forgets I don't like them." She laughed again. "And we share a birthday. That's important when you're eleven, it makes me their instant big sister."

From the way she spoke about them Draco realised the two girls must be twins, despite the fact that they weren't identical.

"When is your birthday?" he asked just for something to say and because he found he didn't want the conversation to end.

"30th August," she told him. "I'm only just in your year actually."

"Oh, that's good," he murmured before he could stop himself. He found it strangely pleasing that he was older than her. Somehow it made him feel better.

"When's yours?" Apparently she was curious too.

"First of June," he said softly, "I'm older than you."

"Everyone in the year is older than me," she pointed out, grinning at him. Draco couldn't help but smile.

There was the sound of footsteps coming back down the path, slower this time and more determined sounding voices calling out Madeleine's name.

She sighed and unlaced their fingers, dropping his hand. "I have to go, they'll be looking for me all evening if I don't."

"Bloody stubborn Gryffindors," Draco sniggered, realising he felt more annoyed than he should at this interruption. He wasn't supposed to want her here!

"Shut up, Draco." Her lips were on his, snatching a brief kiss before she pulled away. "I'll see you later."

She was gone, but Draco found himself relishing those words. He wouldn't be alone tonight.

* * *

When he got to the room Madeleine wasn't yet there, which was hardly surprising considering he'd gone straight there from the garden. He was very tired though and on impulse he stripped down to his underwear and got into the bed, wrapping himself up in the blankets and inhaling her scent. Without really meaning to he drifted off to sleep.

He was awoken he didn't know how long afterwards by a petite figure slipping under the sheets besides him. Madeleine had apparently done the same thing as him, stripping to her underwear and sliding into the bed. He regarded her sleepily and pulled her into his arms for a few lazy kisses, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He didn't feel like sex, he just wanted her closeness and her warmth tonight.

She obviously felt the same because after a few more kisses she unwrapped her arms and went to cuddle into his shoulder as she usually did and on impulse he twisted her round, putting her back to his chest and entangling their legs, snaking his arms around her and holding her close. Everything was warm, and soft, and scented with cherry blossoms. He felt like he was drowning in her.

He didn't really care.


	6. Not Really Real Life

**Author's Notes:** Thank you to those who have lefta review! I really appreciate them :)

I got slightly confused with the countdown numbers that appear in this chapter so if there's a mistake I apologise!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Not Really Real Life**

He woke the next day in a tangle of limbs and body heat and Draco found himself pressing feather light kisses along her jaw before he was really awake enough to realise what he was doing. When he did come to his senses he gasped, and stopped, though he didn't unwind himself from her body. She felt too good in his arms to do that.

His sounds obviously woke her though because she yawned lazily and rolled over, hooking an arm around his neck and smiling at him peacefully, her hair spread out over the pillow like a dark halo. Draco felt his breath catch in his throat. She was too perfect. Too beautiful. What was she doing here with him?

What was he doing here with her?

"Breakfast?" she asked sleepily. He shook his head and kissed her, not stopping until the grumbling of his stomach told him that he really did need to eat. His appetite certainly seemed to have come back this holiday anyway.

"Fine," he mumbled eventually, pulling away reluctantly from her warmth and scrambling out of the bed. He dressed without looking at her, hearing her do the same. There was a moment by the door when they both went to exit at the same time and Draco looked at her, eyes lingering on her face until she smiled prettily and opened the door, slipping away before he could work out what he wanted to say.

Dangerous.

Far too dangerous.

Draco spent a long time under the shower trying to drown out thoughts of her.

When he did finally head up from the common room to go to breakfast he found a crowd of excited student gathered around the main door, Madeleine at the back of the group, dressed casually in jeans and boots – flat heeled this time he noticed.

"What's going on?" he asked no one in particular as he found himself compelled to walk towards them. The two little Slytherins were there. He could pretend he was talking to them.

No need though because Madeleine turned round anyway, grinning happily.

"It's snowing!"

"Oh." Draco peered over the heads of the younger ones, glancing at the white covered world outside. It was beautiful, but he'd seen it before. "I'm going for breakfast," he announced, again not really sure why he was bothering. No one would care.

On impulse he put out his hand, resting it lightly on the small of Madeleine's back just for a second before he turned and walked away. He wasn't sure why he'd done it, and it was definitely a risky thing to do, but he was finding it harder and harder to resist that smile.

She had crawled under his skin and leeched into his veins. He felt like his head was filled with her and his body along with it. He chewed his lip thoughtfully as he sat down, and wondered how many hours it was until he could drown in her presence tonight.

He shouldn't feel like this.

After breakfast he didn't go outside as the rest of the school were clearly preparing to do. He holed himself up in front of the fire in the common room and tried to concentrate on reading his books. He had nothing to read except his textbooks and he was starting to feel like an expert in Arithmancy. The diagrams danced before his eyes, the only things that made logical sense in his crazy pseudo-fantasy life.

It was only after lunch when he returned to the common room again and despaired of repeating the morning that he decided he would go outside after all. There was no point wandering the castle, Madeleine wouldn't be inside. He wrapped himself up in his coat, hat, scarf and gloves and stepped out the front doors into the snow. It was churned up around the entrance, and had lost its crisp whiteness, but he cut a path across the grass to the lake, avoiding the other students who seemed to be having a large snowball fight amongst themselves. He could see a couple of the Hufflepuffs building a snowman and Madeleine appeared to be helping. The whole thing looked innocent and wholesome. _Like a Christmas card_, Draco thought.

He was neither innocent, nor wholesome. He didn't belong here.

He'd never felt more alone.

He turned and headed off around the lake, trying to put the scene out of his mind and merely enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the scenery before him. The lake had frozen and Draco briefly considered ice-skating, but it would be no fun alone and he really wasn't very good. He didn't want to make a fool out of himself.

For the first time since Christmas day he felt the tug of home pull on his heartstrings. His mother had taught him to ice skate when he was small. He wondered if she was missing him. Her letters were certainly becoming more erratic. On top of her usual frantic pleading with him to keep himself safe she dropped hints of what was happening in the Manor. He got the impression another prisoner had joined Ollivander in the cellar, though she didn't say who he or she was. Draco gave a shudder that had nothing to do with the cold and reminded himself why he was glad he wasn't at home.

He wandered on, until he was so far around the lake that the bushes and trees screened the other students from his view, even when he looked back at the castle. He stopped then and stood just looking out over the lake, lost in his own turbulent thoughts until a sound behind him caused him to turn moments before a heavy weight hit his chest, sending him tumbling backwards into a snow drift.

"What the hell?"

There was a very feminine giggle and Draco re-orientated the world, which now included a Gryffindor girl, in a Gryffindor scarf, sitting on top of his legs looking very pleased with herself.

"Madeleine!"

"Yes, Draco?" she said, dropping herself down so her face was very near his. She lent herself on one elbow and pulled off her gloves, tossing them to one side so she could run her thumbs over his cheeks. "What are you doing over here all alone?"

Draco snorted derisively at her. "Who the hell wants me around?"

She tilted her head to one side at that, looking at him with that carefully controlled neutral expression that Draco felt could see all the secrets he tried to keep hidden,

"Me," she said simply and kissed him.

He kissed back, because he'd long given up resisting. Wriggling his hands around her back and pulling off his gloves so he could tangle his hands in her hair at the nape of her neck. Her lips were warm and soft, despite the chill air, though when he moved one hand to her cheek he found she was cold there at least.

Only when the cold from the snow underneath him started penetrating through to his skin did he push Madeleine away and help her back to her feet.

"My life had become very strange, Madeleine," he told her as he resumed his earlier gaze out at the lake. He didn't know why he'd said it, but she was here and he needed someone to talk to.

"Why?" she asked, "Because you're sleeping with a filthy little Gryffindor blood traitor?" She said it as if the label was of no consequence, but Draco found it made him wince.

"Something like that," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"It's like this isn't real life isn't it?" Madeleine had just voiced what he had been thinking for quite some time. He made a noise of agreement and let the silence extend for a while before he said:

"Real life has to come back sometime."

"Not for five more days," she said quietly. Apparently she was counting too.

The silence extended longer this time, until Draco felt a pair of lips, pressing against his cold cheek.

"Everyone's gone in, Draco. Come with us."

He shook his head.

"Why not?" It was another of those questions where she knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it. He obliged, but only because he felt the words tumbling off his tongue before he could stop them.

"I don't belong here."

She wrapped her arm around him briefly, placing another kiss on his cheek.

"Let's pretend you do."

The words and the idea were too enticing. When she removed her arm and turned to head back to the castle Draco found himself following her. She was right about everyone going inside, the grounds were deserted now, though he could see Hagrid in the distance trudging through the snow on some private errand of his own.

In the Entrance Hall he hesitated. He could see everyone through the doors of the Great Hall all gathered together at the long table. There seemed to be some games of wizarding chess going on and Draco could see that the first years from his own house were in there, though he was thankful to see Darren wasn't.

"You should come in," Madeleine said, though she didn't wait for him, immediately turning and heading in there herself. He saw her sit down next to Professor McGonagall and engage her in conversation. Draco hesitated for a few lingering minutes. He didn't belong in there. He didn't belong in a place where everyone was happy and friendly and getting on with everyone else.

Some of them were probably mudbloods.

His heart ached at that thought. It seemed to be one more word that didn't belong in fantasy Hogwarts.

He caved in and stepped inside the hall, aiming for the Slytherins sat at one end of the table who were busily engaged in a game of wizarding chess and didn't notice him until he spoke.

"Don't move your bishop, move your knight there." He pointed to a square for the boy sat on his side of the table, who nearly jumped out of his skin at being addressed by a seventh year.

Especially a seventh year called Draco Malfoy.

He allowed himself a smirk at that. He certainly wasn't about to start lavishing sunshine and roses on the first years – they definitely needed a healthy amount of respect for their elders in his opinion.

A few minutes later he was surprised when Madeleine appeared at his elbow and handed him a mug of hot chocolate. He took it warily, though her eyes betrayed no emotion it was not exactly a subtle gesture and he most certainly did not want the Professors or other students to get any ideas. Only when he saw that she had also brought some for the two younger Slytherins did he relax a little and allow his attention to return back to their game of chess.

He gave them one or two more hints, though mostly because he could not bear to see them playing so badly.

He stayed in the Great Hall along with everyone else until after dinner, letting the babble of conversation wash over him and glancing subtly at Madeleine whenever he could. She smiled at him a couple of time, obviously pleased that he was there, though there was no chance for them to talk to each other.

She disappeared pretty quickly after dessert and Draco found himself desperately wanting to follow, but Professor Slughorn, who seemed to have warmed to him slightly over the last few days was expounding on the times he had played wizarding chess with Draco's grandfather and he felt it would be rather imprudent to leave.

When the flow finally petered out Draco excused himself and gathered his discarded outdoor things before leaving to head back to his common room. He back-tracked to his seat when he realised he didn't have his gloves, only remembering that he'd left them outside after a brief, but futile search on the floor.

He returned to the Entrance Hall pulled on his outdoor things and headed for the main doors, which for some reason seemed to be partially open, allowing the light from the Entrance Hall to spill out over the darkened lawn.

"Where are you going, Malfoy?" McGonagall had appeared from nowhere and Draco froze, though as far as he knew he was doing nothing wrong. Nosy old bat – why did she want to know?

"Just going to look for my gloves, _Professor_."

McGonagall made an impatient noise in her throat. "Really, Malfoy, please explain to me why it is that the two oldest, and therefore it should follow, two most responsible, students in the school are the only ones who have managed to leave their possessions scattered about the grounds? Madeleine is already out there searching for her own missing gloves."

"Oh." Malfoy wasn't sure now whether he was expected to go and look for his or stay inside. He narrowed his eyes at McGonagall – he didn't particularly care what she thought, but he really wasn't in the mood for either a lecture or a detention. "Maybe she'll find mine?" he tried, as an attempt to get further clarification.

"It's hardly likely, unless you left them in the same place, Malfoy?" McGonagall's eyebrows were raised now and Draco realised this conversation was rapidly veering out of control. He did the only logical thing and sneered at the Gryffindor Professor.

"Since I don't know where she left hers I'm hardly likely to know if I left mine in the same place am I?" he lied, injecting his voice with extra sarcasm just to cover up his earlier mistake. He didn't like McGonagall anyway. Why didn't she just leave him alone?

There was a movement from the door, Madeleine appeared, cheeks slightly reddened from the cold outside. She glanced at McGonagall and then over to Draco as if assessing the situation, before striding over to him and holding out his gloves.

"Yours?" There was a slight questioning inflection to her voice, though she knew full well they were his.

"Thank you," he said curtly, practically snatching the gloves from her hand before sneering again at McGonagall's surprised face and marching off to the dungeons.

Only when he reached the safety of his dormitory did he allow himself a thin smirk. _Let McGonagall puzzle over that one_, he thought. He didn't know whether the silly old bat had been more surprised that Madeleine had his gloves or his own display of good manners. He threw his outdoor clothes onto Blaise's bed, knowing that the House Elves would deal with them overnight and fled to the room on the seventh floor.

It was early, but Madeleine was already there, sitting cross-legged on the bed and reading a book. Draco pulled off his shoes and sat down next to her. He glanced at the cover of her book and scoffed. It was 'My Life as A Muggle' by Daisy Hookum.

"Why are you reading that shit?" he asked, unsure whether he was more annoyed that she wasn't stopping now he was here, or at the fact that her choice of reading material reminded her that they were different. Different people, with different beliefs, on different sides of a war. It was an intrusion of the real into his fantasy and he didn't like it one bit.

"It's not shit," Madeleine said mildly, clearly unfazed by the whole thing. She stuck a bookmark in her page and closed the book, tossing it onto the floor near where her shoes were. She turned those piercing blue eyes on him and he felt like she could read his thoughts written across his face. "And I'm not going to apologise for reading it."

"I didn't ask you to," he pointed out rather grudgingly. He still wasn't happy about the whole thing. "I just pointed out that it was shit."

"Draco?" She was looking at him steadily, her head tilted to one side again.

"What?" he grumbled, still put out.

"Shut up and fuck me."

He really didn't need telling twice.

Quite some time later, they lay panting and breathless tangled in each other's arms. Draco wasn't sure if it was the fact that he'd been a bit annoyed, or whether it was just because they hadn't done this yesterday but the whole thing had seemed more passionate and more intense than ever before. She crawled over him, indulging in more kisses, until they were forced to break apart to gasp for air and she leaned her forehead on his, looking him in the eyes.

"Much better," she said quietly, rolling off him and curling up against his shoulder. He couldn't help sniggering at that. She was right, it was much better than arguing over some stupid book about muggles.

He curled himself around her, relishing the feel of her tangling her legs with his.

Use her and then discard her when he didn't need her anymore.

He couldn't imagine not needing this.

* * *

Four more days until his fantasy world fell apart.

Today, with what was practically a blizzard raging outside the castle they'd all been forced to stay indoors. Draco had found solace in the library, which at least had something to read other than his textbooks, and eventually had Madeleine as well, when she discovered him hidden behind some shelves and they had indulged in some serious kissing until they had been very nearly caught by Madam Pince.

They fled back to their respective common rooms then, Draco wondering what had happened to his Malfoy pride, which would have never allowed him to do something like this before.

The storm had died down by the evening, leaving the world covered in a crisp, unbroken whiteness and hiding all the footprints of before. That evening they were late going to the room, as Madeleine had agreed to help the first years with their holiday homework. When Draco went to make his way up there at eleven o'clock he was surprised to be stopped in the Entrance Hall by Madeleine, under the effects of a disillusionment charm.

"Hello, Draco."

The words and her voice reminded him of when she used to catch him outside the Room of Hidden Things. It was an oddly pleasant memory now he looked back on it.

"Do you want to go ice skating?" She murmured the words straight into his ear, but he was forced to hiss back into empty air, unsure exactly where she was.

"What?"

"Ice skating. Let's go and skate on the lake."

"We'll be caught." He could just imagine the Professors' faces if they caught him indulging in an ice skating session with a Gryffindor. They would hardly be able to claim innocence if they were caught together red handed.

"Don't be silly, there's hardly anyone here to catch us. Live a little, Draco." He could feel her hand in his hair, and that, along with the idea of doing something completely against everyone's expectations did send a little thrill down his spine.

"All right, fine. But if we get caught I'm going to deny all knowledge of you," he told her firmly, unable to quite believe he was agreeing at all.

"Fine by me. Go and dress properly."

He left her waiting and went to locate his outdoor things, which true to form the House Elves had dried and stashed neatly in his trunk. Five minutes later he and Madeleine were stealing across the grounds to the lake, skirting the edges of the lawns so they were less likely to be seen. They went around to the bank furthest from the castle, and Madeleine, now perfectly visible, transfigured her shoes into skates.

"Can you skate?" she asked, as he sat down and did his own shoes.

"Yes." He struggled internally for a moment before grudgingly admitting, "But not that well."

"Ok." She took off across the lake with effortless grace, whilst he made two attempts to actually stand upright, succeeding on the second go.

"Come on," she encouraged as she whizzed by him, flashing him that annoying smirk she had.

"Show off," he snapped, slightly exasperated to find yet another thing she could do better than him. In response she glided back towards him, coming to a stop and holding out her hand.

"Hold onto my hand."

"I can skate fine by myself thank you." It wasn't strictly true, at least probably not until he found his balance, but he did have some pride left.

"Hold my hand anyway," she said softly, sounding more vulnerable for a moment than she usually did. Her eyes were as unreadable as ever, but he did reach out and take her hand, letting her lace her fingers into his and tug him out onto the lake properly.

He was glad of the support once he started moving his feet, though it didn't take long for the rhythm to come back to him and for him to feel fairly confident that he wouldn't make a fool of himself should she let go. Not that she showed any signs of doing so. She seemed content to drift around with him, smiling at him occasionally when she caught him studying how the moonlight made her eyes shimmer or how her hair rippled in the wind.

_Beautiful._

They had glided over the ice together in companionable silence for a long time before he felt her speed up their skating a little and he matched her, until he couldn't keep up any longer and he was forced to pull his hand from hers, smiling as she took off over the ice, hair whipping out behind her as she sped away from him, whooping with joy in a way that made Draco fear they would be caught. She whirled around, heading back towards him, slowing down as she approached him but still slamming into him and pushing him backwards across the ice, somehow keeping the balance for both of them as he felt his own centre of gravity waver uncontrollably. She was laughing, and he realised so was he. A genuinely happy laugh that dissolved into passionate kisses as their lips met. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this happy.

Their kisses became more frantic, until Madeleine pulled apart and gasped, "Bedtime," at him, pulling him quickly back over the ice to the bank so they could sort out their shoes. They didn't get much further than that because she was on him again then, scrabbling over him as she knocked him onto his back and he felt the cold snow slip down the inside of his scarf. He groaned and tried to push her off, though he didn't bother to break the kisses that they were now sharing.

"Madeleine," he complained, when he failed to dislocate the snow and it slipped right inside his coat and down his back, "What's got into you?"

"Shut up Draco and take me to bed."

He dragged her up and pulled her back round the lawns to the entrance. Seven flights of stairs was seven too many right now. He cast a disillusionment charm on her and dragged her down to the Slytherin common room and through into his dormitory.

If she was at all surprised, or shocked by his behaviour, she didn't show it. The moment he had locked and silenced the room she was pulling off his outdoor clothes, having already removed the disillusionment charm whilst he was occupied. He joined her efforts, stripping her down to her bare skin in no time and pushing her up against the wall as she worked on his clothes, licking and sucking every inch of bare skin he could reach, trailing his hands greedily over her smooth curves, moaning against her lips as they indulged in frenzied kisses.

When they were both naked he picked her up and briefly considered whether she would actually be ready for this. It had been so quick. There was the thought in the back of his mind that he didn't want to hurt her.

"Do it," she hissed into his ear, breaking off from where she'd been nibbling at his neck. He felt her fingers wrap around his erection and he hoisted her higher, positioning her properly before he let her slide down on top of him He felt her thigh muscles tighten as she took in his whole length, groaning into his hair and clamping her legs round his back as she started to move almost instantly.

It was obvious that whatever had got into her she was going to come pretty quickly. Draco responded to her frantic movements, gripping her hips, pushing her harder against the wall, tilting his head up to accept her messy kisses, swallowing down her frantic moans as he repeatedly hit that sensitive spot inside her.

The kisses broke when she threw her head back, writhing against him more desperately as moans turned into breathless pants and then into a yell as she fell over the edge in his arms, a mess of sweat slicked skin and convulsing limbs that made Draco groan into her neck, though his own orgasm was nowhere near.

He lifted her away from his body and carried her to the bed, laying her down before he crawled over her, feeling his muscles twitch at the sight of her post-orgasmic glow.

"That was so fucking hot," he murmured, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. He wasn't finished with her, but the sight of her like this, so wrapped up in her own pleasure had tipped him nearer the edge than he wanted to be yet. He concentrated on kissing down her neck and over her creamy skin, nibbling at her flesh until he knew by her whimpers and gasps that she was ready for him again.

He joined their hips for the second time then, taking it slowly, holding back until he could feel the muscles twitching in her stomach. She was letting him take complete control and that in itself was worth the wait. He gritted his teeth and increased the rhythm slightly, dipping his head to kiss her and groaning against her mouth as her fingernails trailed down his spine. The heat was building in his torso, but he wanted her to come again before he found his own release.

"Harder." The word was barely breathed into his ear, but he heard it and the word seemed to go straight to that bubble of pleasure building in his abdomen. He grabbed her legs, pushing her knees up to her chest, bending over and slamming his hips into hers with guttural moans that were matched by her own. He wasn't going to last long like this, but he knew it would hit her sensitive spot all the harder and push her faster towards her climax.

Just a few more strokes and he could feel her muscles contracting. She was so close, her body was so tense and the extra friction was just too fucking good. He exploded inside her, pleasure flooding through his veins as he felt his release push her over the edge for the second time that night and she ground her hips against his, grasping at every last bit of pleasure.

Then as the high faded and Draco felt his vision start to come back she pushed him away from her, their bodies separating in a mess of sticky fluids as she yanked herself upright, flinging herself on top of him so he tumbled over backwards and found himself pinned down by forceful kisses that knocked the air out of his lungs and forced him to push her away gasping.

"What the hell has got into you?" he panted, grinning up at her as she hung over him with bright eyes and sex-flushed cheeks.

"You obviously." She smirked down at him and then resumed her attentions, kissing over his jaw and collarbone.

"That's incredibly cheesy," he scoffed, trying to bat her away again.

She pulled away and looked him in the eye.

"I meant literally and figuratively obviously," she informed him, another smirk gracing those wicked looking lips.

Draco froze, his breath catching in his throat.

_Fucking hell._

What sort of woman had two amazing orgasms and then came out with a sentence like that? It wasn't that it was complex, it was just that it was so… well such a ridiculous thing to say after sex. He doubted any of his former partners would have even known what the hell that phrase meant.

_Bloody fucking hell._

His breath came back in a rush and he flipped her over.

"You are so fucking…" He hadn't got the words for it. He was both unable and unwilling to put that feeling into words. Instead he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her crazily until he broke away to plant slightly sloppy kisses over her face and neck, causing her to squeal and try to push him away.

So amazing.

So incredible.

So ridiculously hard to give up.

He hung over her grinning when he finally tired of the kisses, then pulled her back upright and manoeuvred her into bed, once again relishing how easy it was for him to move her light frame. She kissed him a few times, smiling lazily at him as he stroked her hair, soothing them both back into calmness and letting his eyes drift shut.

"Are we sleeping here then?" she asked softly after a minute.

He made a sleepy noise of confirmation and felt her twist in his arms, pressing her back up against his chest so he could wind himself around her. Her hairs tickled his nose and he jerked into wakefulness again, sniffing and pulling a pillow round so that it was covering her hair. He heard her snigger.

"Too much hair," he grumbled.

"Shall I get it cut off?" He knew she was joking.

"No, definitely not." He planted a final kiss above her ear and settled back down behind her, wrapping his arm tightly over her before they fell asleep.

* * *

Only three more days until the fantasy ended.

Body heat. Warm, almost stifling, but so unbelievably comforting. Draco clung tighter to the petit figure in his arms and buried his face in her hair. They were, he realised slowly as he surfaced into the waking world, not in the room but in his dormitory, in his bed.

He'd never had anyone else share his bed. Not one that belonged to him anyway.

It was a stupid level of intimacy. Stupid and foolish and so bloody addicting. All of this had to go away in four days time. Draco groaned at that thought and tightened his hold some more. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to give this up.

He could feel her stirring in his arms now and he relaxed his grip slightly to allow her to turn and face him. She gave him that adorable sleepy smile and pressed her forehead against his and he realised in that moment that if he had to give this up then he was going to make sure he had as much of her as possible before hand.

He would drown himself in her until he could hardly breath. Maybe it would be enough.

"Sit with me at breakfast," he murmured, as she stroked at his hair. The request earned him a raised eyebrow, but eventually she nodded her agreement and he went to climb out of bed.

They dressed swiftly, and then Draco had to go and check the common room before Madeleine cast a disillusionment charm and snuck back out of the entrance. It had gone surprisingly well, but with only three other people in the whole of the Slytherin area it was hardly surprising they hadn't been caught.

In the shower that morning Draco didn't try to drown himself with the water, he had something else to drown in now. Something far more pleasant.

At breakfast she did indeed sit with him and though they couldn't really talk she did tuck her ankle around his and give him a sly smirk.

He didn't see her all morning, which annoyed him more than it really should, especially when lunchtime arrived and she didn't sit next to him at the table. Hagrid had come in for his lunch for once, and Madeleine had gone to sit with him. Why she wanted to talk to that great oaf was beyond Draco. He could overhear snatches of their conversation about unicorns, but when Madeleine looked up at him he didn't smile.

_Idiot Gryffindor._

He sulked in his common room all afternoon, annoyed when his hunger meant he couldn't skip dinner. He arrived early to find there were lots of empty spaces and he took a seat near the end of the table, not particularly wanting any company at the moment. He was facing the door, which meant that when Madeleine arrived a few minutes later he saw her scanning the table. Their eyes met as she started walking across the hall and a moment later she was slipping onto the bench besides him.

"All right, I'll sit with you," she muttered, "Don't look so bloody sulky."

He scowled at her, caught McGonagall watching them out of the corner of his eye and scowled at her too for good measure. A moment later though he felt Madeleine's hand clutch at his under the table and his frown vanished. Her hand didn't linger long, but it was enough for him for now.

After dinner they both turned up at the room at pretty much the same time, and after she'd teased him about his sudden penchant for sitting with her they had kissed and had sex until they had fallen into an exhausted sleep, wrapped up in each other's arms.

* * *

Only two more days. Draco was starting to feel desperate.

The next day they had sat together at every meal, and in between they had barely left each other's sides. Draco knew they were being indiscrete, though they maintained a semblance of it. Disappearing around the lake where they couldn't be seen in the morning, spending the afternoon secluded in the library finishing what was left of their holiday homework. It was foolish and idiotic, but Draco felt like he was clutching at the remains of a fantasy whilst it was still there. In two days she would be the Gryffindor blood-traitor again and he'd be the Slytherin Death Eater who wasn't supposed to touch.

Somehow he needed to get enough of her before then.

That night he kissed her frantically like a man fearing the passage of time itself, striped her naked and held her close as they moved together, approaching their release, skirting it, approaching again, skirting again, until Draco had no thoughts left in his head except Madeleine and the pure, unadulterated pleasure of being with her. When his release finally came, sweet and soft and leaving him feel like the world had been made whole again Draco dragged her close and held her as if he would never let go. She was dong the same to him, trembling gently in his arms, legs still wrapped around him as they both drifted towards blissful sleep.

Nothing could be more perfect than the way he felt right now.


	7. Muggles and Madness

**Author's Notes: **Thank you for the lovely review ArtRat, I'm so glad you're enjoying it :) They'll get their fantasy eventually, but maybe not as soon as they'd both like!

Hello as well to everyone who is reading along and has favourite/followed the story, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

* * *

**Chapter 7: Muggles and Madness**

Sunday dawned cold and clear, and as the morning light assaulted his closed eyes Draco felt a knot of dread form in his stomach.

Last day.

Last day before reality came back and crushed his perfect little world.

He whimpered softly and captured her lips in a kiss even before she had fully awoken. She responded though, latching onto him and letting her tongue flick over his lips in a ridiculously seductive manner. He was tempted to just stay in bed with her and have a repeat of last night, but he really needed a shower and some breakfast.

He also needed to speak to her.

"Madeleine?"

She pulled away and looked at him, eyes giving nothing away, until she frowned and placed one finger over his lips.

"Don't, Draco. I know what you're going to say. Just shut up ok? We'll talk about it later."

He frowned, but then nodded. Much as he didn't like being told what to do he really didn't want to talk about it either. Later was fine with him.

They sat together at breakfast, spent the morning by the lake again and then sat together at lunch. Afterwards they spent a couple of hours in the library, until Madeleine revealed that she really needed to return to her common room as she had promised her little first year hangers-on that she would help them finish their homework. It annoyed Draco, but he didn't want to fall out with her so he simply nodded and packed away. Grumbling to himself when she smirked at his frown and gave him a kiss which meant he couldn't keep it up.

She knew him too well.

_Damn it!_

It was on his way to the common room that he overheard the conversation.

He was passing Slughorn's office when he heard McGonagall's voice from the other side. She visited the dungeons rarely enough that this in itself was interesting. He paused and moved closer, listening to the conversation. He was pretty sure he'd heard a familiar name being said.

"Have you noticed she seems to be spending a lot of time with him?" That was McGonagall. Draco frowned. Was she talking about him? The way she'd said the word _him_ hadn't sounded like it was anyone she liked.

"What do you mean, Minerva?" Slughorn sounded flustered.

"At meals, they're sitting together. They sometimes talk when they think no ones watching." Damn that nosy old cow! How had she noticed them doing that?

"Well, it's not a crime to talk to someone is it? The boy seems to have improved since last year, he isn't entirely unpleasant." It was definitely him they were talking about, Draco realised.

"Horace!" McGonagall sounded scandalised, but then she lowered her voice and Draco was forced to press his ear nearer the keyhole to make out her words. "You know what the boy is. You know what him and all the Malfoy family stand for. In all his time at this school I've never seen him exchange a civil word with anyone from my House. Why would he suddenly talk to her? Think about what it might mean!"

"My dear, Minerva, you're not suggesting that Madeleine…?" Slughorn sounded rather like he was going to faint. Draco knew how he felt.

"I don't know what I'm suggesting, Horace, she seems such a nice girl, but her parents… you know."

"Yes." The potions Professor sounded almost resigned now, but Draco's head was spinning. What was McGonagall saying about Madeleine's parents? They weren't Death Eaters were they? Draco didn't remember anyone of her surname from any of the meetings, but then of course he hadn't been paying that much attention.

"And much as it pains me to say it, she wouldn't be the first Gryffindor to betray us all."

"Yes," Slughorn's voice was very faint now. Draco could almost picture him gripping onto a chair for support, "Poor Lilly and James. Terrible, terrible business. Their best friend, as well…"

Wormtail.

Draco felt like he was going to be sick. How could that cow be comparing Madeleine... his perfect, beautiful Madeleine, to that disgusting little worm of a man?

He didn't wait to hear anymore, he turned and fled for the seventh floor. The only thought in his head to get to Madeleine and warn her that her Head of House was convinced she was a Death Eater.

Draco had never heard anything more stupid in his life.

* * *

The problem was he didn't know where the Gryffindor Common Room was. He ran aimlessly around the seventh floor until he very nearly ploughed into a small girl carrying a stack of books.

He snarled at her in annoyance, but then realised who she was and grabbed her arm.

"Where's Madeleine?" he demanded, ignoring the girl's terrified look. He shook her slightly when she didn't answer. Not enough to hurt, she was only a kid after all, but enough to bring her to her senses.

"In… in the common r…room."

"Get her for me." The girl continued to look at him in terror and he released her arm. "Now!"

With a terrified squeak the girl fled, and Draco subsided onto a nearby window seat to wait.

A few minutes later Madeleine came flying around the corner.

"What the hell did you do to Martha?" she snapped as soon as she saw him, "And what the hell do you think you're doing here anyway?"

It was more than Draco's nerves could stand. He grabbed her elbows, pulled her towards him and kissed her hard on the mouth. She froze, responded briefly, and then pushed him away, still looking annoyed, though a little less so now.

"You didn't terrify the life out of a first year just to do that, Draco," she said firmly, when she had managed to extract herself from his failing grasp, "What's going on?"

Now she was here Draco didn't really know what to say. Eventually he gave up and blurted out, "McGonagall thinks you're a Death Eater."

Madeleine's mouth dropped open, and then she laughed, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing and the idea was too ridiculous not to. Draco felt that he might as well go all the way and added, "And she seems to think your parents are as well." The laughter stopped.

"My parents are not Death Eaters, Draco," she snapped, her glare suggesting that further comment on the subject of her parents would be a mistake. Draco subsided and let her be for a moment. He noticed she seemed to have turned three shades whiter since her parents had been mentioned.

"This is your fault," she snapped finally.

"I know." Draco never admitted he was in the wrong. He wasn't sure why he was doing it now, but he did feel very much like this was his fault and he wanted to make it better. The idea that McGonagall thought Madeleine could ever be mixed up in his very fucked up world was so repulsive that it made his stomach turn. Stupid cow had no idea what it was really like. She couldn't do. If she did she would never have suspected Madeleine.

His admission did seem to have one good effect. Madeleine's frown vanished and was replaced by a vague look of surprise.

"All right, never mind," she said, "I'm not a Death Eater am I so it doesn't really matter. Just… maybe we shouldn't sit next to each other at dinner. She'll get over it eventually."

"No." Draco reached out and grabbed her hand. "It does matter. I don't want her thinking that about you." Those piercing blue eyes were looking at him with that searching expression and he found himself chewing his lip as he added, "It's disgusting. You would never do anything like that. She's being stupid and she needs to know it."

Madeleine snorted derisively, "Maybe I'll just wave my arm in her face then, that will show her I don't have the mark."

Draco flinched, the reminder of what was emblazoned up his own arm not at all welcome. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"To be honest I don't think she really thinks you're a proper Death Eater with the mark and everything." He admitted, "I think she just thinks you're generally in favour of them. You know, that you hate muggles and… stuff." _Like my mother_, he added silently in his head.

Madeleine seemed to have gone another shade paler at that, though Draco didn't know why it should disturb her more than the more serious accusation that she had the mark on her arm. She was silent for a minute, and even turned away, massaging her temples briefly before turning back. When she did she looked much more composed.

"This is the weirdest conversation I've ever had, Draco." Her expression was carefully neutral again, though there was now just a hint of amusement in her eyes. "And the stupidest thing I've ever been accused of. What the hell happened to my life?"

"You slept with a Death Eater remember?" Draco pointed out bitterly. He didn't like this. He didn't want to remember what he technically was. And he definitely didn't know what she had to be so amused about. His perfect little fantasy world was breaking apart sooner than it was supposed to.

"Yeah," she said vaguely. "I guess Professor McGonagall doesn't know me that well."

Draco laughed humourlessly, "Probably never seen you reading those shitty muggle books."

"Hmmm." Madeleine looked thoughtful for a second, and Draco wondered exactly what she was planning. Whatever it was though he didn't ask, because a moment later she climbed onto the window seat, wrapped her arms around him and started peppering his cheek with little kisses.

"Don't you think, in the circumstances, that here is a bit public to be doing that?" he said coldly, trying desperately to keep his guard up as she trailed the kisses down his neck. He thought he'd made his point when she pulled away, but instead she just moved her lips round to his and hovered in front of him, just like she had so often only a few weeks before.

Was that really all it was?

"Haven't you heard, Draco? I'm a muggle hating Gryffindor who's sleeping with a Death Eater."

It didn't sound nearly so bad when she said it.

* * *

After some very heated kisses, full of passion and a promise of more to come later, Madeleine had left him on the window seat with a declaration that they should sit next to each other at dinner after all. He had sat and gazed out of the window for quite some time after she had left, the tingle of her kisses still on his lips as he realised that tomorrow this all had to end. Real life was already intruding. Tomorrow it would come back with a bang.

Tomorrow he couldn't allow himself to know her.

When dinnertime arrived he stretched out his cramped limbs and headed downstairs. He met McGonagall on the way, who seemed surprised to see him coming down the main staircase to dinner instead of up from the dungeons and he treated her to his very best scowl.

He hated her even more than usual right now.

To annoy her he took the seat nearly opposite her at the dinner table and occupied himself in shooting her murderous glares until Madeleine arrived and true to her word, took the seat next to him and opposite McGonagall.

There was a book in her hand, which she flipped open and started reading as soon as she'd helped herself to some food, balancing it in her left, whilst eating with her right. Nobody batted an eyelid at this, the Ravenclaws often read at the table and Draco had seriously considered doing so himself over these holidays since he had no one to talk to, except that he'd been brought up not to and it felt oddly like a betrayal of his mother to do so when she was not there to berate him.

What sort of betrayal was sleeping with a blood traitor?

Pushing that thought aside he snuck a glance at the cover of the book. It was her copy of 'My Life As A Muggle'.

_Clever._

"Madeleine, may I have a look at that book you're reading?" McGonagall had obviously noticed now and was holding out her hand for the volume. Madeleine handed it over without a word, her expression betraying no sign that this was anything other than completely normal.

McGonagall examined the book as if she expected it to be something else, and then asked, in what Draco thought was a very bad example of acting casually.

"Is this from the library?"

"No." Madeleine was either genuinely surprised by the question, or she was faking it very well. "It's mine. I bought it in Flourish and Blotts over the summer."

McGonagall was now showing the book to Slughorn, who beamed with relief at the sight of it. Draco wasn't surprised. Madeleine was one of his little pets, and he hadn't sounded at all happy in his study earlier. This was clearly enough to restore his faith in her.

"Oh, an excellent choice, dear," he said, plucking the book from McGonagll's hands, "I know Daisy very well of course. Are you enjoying the book?"

"Oh yes," Madeleine, accepted it back from him with a smile, "It's fascinating to find out how they survive without magic. I've got 'The Home Life and Habits of British Muggles' too. Of course I took Muggle Studies at Beauxbatons and got my OWL, but it's interesting to read about the difference between British and French muggles."

"Yes, of course, of course, " Slughorn said genially. Draco rather though the revelation about her Muggle Studies OWL had stunned McGonagall into silence.

_Very clever._

After a few more exchanges on the subject of Daisy and her book, which Draco listened to with only half an ear, Madeleine resumed her reading and Draco felt her legs tangling with his under the table. He was going to miss that when they went back to their normal tables.

He risked a glance across at her then, but she was absorbed in her book and he found his eyes drawn to the picture on the page. It was moving, like all pictures in magical books. There was a muggle standing next to some sort of fireplace. It was a small fire, and didn't seem to have much of a chimney, but there were coals arranged extremely neatly in the grate. The muggle in the picture messed about with some sort of dial underneath where the ash grate should have been and the coals burst into flames.

Draco blinked.

How had that happened?

He watched the little sequence repeat itself, but he couldn't work it out. The muggle hadn't touched the coals and yet they were on fire. If he hadn't known it couldn't possibly be magic, he would have thought it was.

Madeleine turned the page and he tore his gaze away. McGonagall was watching him he realised and he scowled at her again, returning to his plate of food. He ate steadily for a while, avoiding looking up, until he felt Madeleine shift next to him.

She had propped the book up on her goblet now and was using her knife and fork to eat properly. Without really meaning to Draco found himself looking at the picture on her current page.

A muggle was bent over a pile of wood. He scrapped a small stick along a box and it produced a tiny flame, which he used to light the wood and make a fire. Draco had seen this before. When his father had taken him into the camp at the Quidditch World Cup one of the Ministry Officials, a genial looking man with a bald head, had been using them to try and light his fire. Draco had been fascinated when the first one had burst into flames, though the wizard had immediately dropped the thing in horror. Draco couldn't understand how scraping a stick against a box could produce a flame then, and he didn't understand it any better now. The wizard had informed him that the tiny sticks were called matches, but his father had dragged him away and berated him for showing any interest in filthy muggle habits before Draco could find out anything else.

"Matches."

"What?" Draco snapped, realising that Madeleine was addressing him and tearing his treacherous eyes away from the book. How could he have been so stupid as to be caught out twice?

"They're matches," she said, eyes still travelling over the text in the book as if she wasn't actually speaking at all, "Muggles use them to light fires."

"I know what matches are for thank you very much," he said bitterly, his annoyance at being caught showing an interest in her book making him temporarily forget that he wasn't supposed to know anything of the sort. Madeleine's head snapped up and she looked at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly, but he scowled at her so darkly that she almost immediately turned back to her book. He could feel the tinge of pink creeping over his cheeks and he kept his head down. He'd heard McGonagall's indrawn breath at his words and he really didn't want to see her face right now.

Fucking nosy cow.

Fucking idiotic muggles.

Draco's temper lasted until after dinner. So much so that he spent half an hour in the common room before he went up to the room on the seventh floor, compelled to go only because it might be the last night he got to spend with Madeleine.

That this meant more to him than his own temper tantrum was not even worth thinking about.

When he arrived Madeleine was sitting cross-legged and bare foot on the bed again, reading that same stupid book.

"Still reading that shit?" he said testily as he pulled off his own shoes and sat down too, propping himself up against the pillows.

"Yes, I'm still reading this shit," she said neutrally, turning the page and not looking up at him. That only increased his irritation.

"Fucking McGonagall," he swore, to relieve some of his feelings on the matter.

"It was a clever idea though wasn't it?" Madeleine said, finally glancing across at him with a smirk on her face, "Admit it."

Draco scoffed, though he didn't attempt to contradict her.

"I don't know what surprised her more," Madeleine continued, apparently now absorbed by her book again, "Me liking Muggles or Draco Malfoy actually knowing what matches are."

"Fuck off."

That got him a raised eyebrow, though nothing more, until she turned the page.

"What else do you know about muggles, Draco?" She asked the question almost accusingly, as if he had been deliberately hiding things from her.

Draco snorted derisively, "They're idiots."

Another raised eyebrow. "Do you know how matches work?"

"No." He didn't, but even if he had known he would hardly have admitted it at this point. It was bad enough that he knew that one small piece of information about them, never mind anything more in depth.

"Who's the idiot then?"

_Fuck._

He'd walked right into that one.

"Fuck off, Madeleine."

She sighed and threw the book to one side, crawling over to him and arranging herself in his lap. She wound her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his torso, straddling his hips. He let her, but only because he was fuming too much to actually bother reacting. Who the fuck did she think she was? He frowned harder at her.

"The way I see it, Draco," she purred, not sounding in the slightest bit annoyed at his behaviour, "We can spend the night arguing or we can spend the night fucking. Which one shall we go for?"

_Double fuck._

He clutched at her face and slammed his lips into hers in hard, frustrated kisses, feeling her instantly react against him and curl her fingers in his hair, pulling at it so hard it actually hurt. Draco savoured the pain. It cut through all the irritations of the day and put everything right again.

They tumbled over and around each other, fingernails scratching, teeth nipping, hands clawing desperately, arching their bodies together as they both took what they needed from the other. It was fast and frantic and Draco felt drunk on her flesh and the friction of it all as they slammed their bodies together, creating a quick, dizzying climax that left him fuzzy headed and weak limbed.

When they had recovered they did the only logical thing and repeated the experience. Slow and considered this time, repairing their shattered thoughts and soothing their souls with gentle kisses and tender touches, easing themselves to a second climax that washed away all before it and cleansed Draco's mind and body.

He held her tightly afterwards. He never wanted to let go. Never wanted this to end.

* * *

The next day at breakfast, now dressed in their school uniforms, which marked them out more clearly than ever as a Slytherin and a Gryffindor, they once again sat together, as far away as possible from McGonagall's prying eyes. Draco ate his cereal with the wrong hand; the fingers of his other were laced around Madeleine's under the table.

By some mutual unspoken agreement they returned to the room after breakfast and sat together on the bed, looking at each other for a long time before either of them spoke.

"This has to stop." Draco had been the first to break the silence.

"I know."

"I'm supposed to hate you."

"Because I'm a filthy Gryffindor blood traitor? I know."

"I'm a Slytherin and a Death Eater."

"I know that too."

"You're supposed to hate me."

A contemptuous laugh from Madeleine was all the reply he got to that. He tried again.

"This wasn't supposed to happen."

"I know." Pause. "We agreed it wasn't real life anyway."

"Real life starts again right now."

No more kisses.

No more sex.

No more Madeleine.

Draco didn't know which of those was worst.

"Right now?" Madeleine had raised her hand to his face, and drawn nearer, letting her eyelids flutter shut as she positioned her lips just an inch from his own. "I'd rather real life waited till after lunch."

So would he. He gave in, kissed her like a dying man and let himself drown in her everything again.

Afterwards they dozed, wrapped in each other's arms one last time until they couldn't put it off any longer. They dressed and kissed. Draco pulling Madeleine so hard against him that they could hardly breath. He didn't care. He wanted… needed to imprint the memory of her taste and her touch and her scent onto his brain.

No more Madeleine.

His life was so fucked up.

* * *

He had resolved that he would keep away from her at lunchtime. He needed to practise for later when he would be back at his house table with his fellow Slytherins. He had vaguely mentioned it to her, but he'd forgotten…

Forgotten that Madeleine was tenacious and controlling and a ridiculous tease.

She waltzed into lunch, hair pulled back in a rough ponytail, uniform still rumpled from where she had just pulled it on earlier when they'd got out of bed and sat herself down next to him, giving him a wicked smirk.

She smelt like sex.

She looked like she'd just been fucked.

He shot her a horrified glance and tried to slide up the bench a little further away from her, eyes seeking out McGonagall who was looking at Madeleine with pursed lips. If the silly old cow didn't work out what the hell was going on now, then Draco really despaired of her having any brains at all.

His only consolation was that he had showered and changed into a fresh uniform, which at least meant he didn't look like the counterpart of her depraved behaviour.

He knew damn well why she'd done it. Stupid little Gryffindor didn't like not being in control of her life and apparently didn't like not being in control of him. He scowled at her, annoyed that her scent was assaulting his brain and making him want to drag her out of there and back to bed.

She caught his eye and smirked at him again.

He ate as quickly as he could and then left.

If she had managed to get him to smirk back during dessert, it was only because she looked too damn sexy to be allowed.

* * *

He had escaped to the skies after lunch, only coming down when it was dark and he'd seen the carriages coming up the road from Hogsmeade station. He'd managed to get to the Entrance Hall before they'd arrived and now he was hanging around, trying to look nonchalant and trying to remember that he should not… must not, look at Madeleine.

Students started pouring through the doors, laughing and chatting, heading through into the Great Hall for the start of term dinner. He saw Longbottom and the Weasley girl greeting Madeleine. There was some conversation and he saw Madeleine's face drop – what had happened? She met his eyes and gave him a reproachful look.

Real life was definitely back.

A pair of arms was suddenly flung around his neck and someone tried to kiss his cheek.

"Draco!" Pansy cooed into his ear. He made a noise of disgust and pushed her away, wondering when she was going to get the hint that he did not want any physical affection from her. Behind her Blaise was giving him an odd look.

"Good holidays?" he asked, just for something to say. Blaise continued to look at him strangely and Draco began to feel uncomfortable. "What?" he snapped.

"What happened to you?" Blaise was looking at him as if he was a stranger and Draco self consciously raised a hand to his face, wondering if he had something there that could in any way embarrass him. Had Pansy managed to smear lipstick all over him when she'd tried to kiss him?

"Nothing happened to me," he snapped, annoyed at his friend. Blaise shrugged in response.

"Something's definitely happened to you. Maybe you should look in a mirror."

Draco gave in and borrowed Pansy's compact mirror, but it was small and all he managed to establish was that he didn't actually have anything stuck to his face.

The next morning in the bathroom he remembered Blaise's words and leant on the sink, looking at himself properly in the mirror for the first time since before the holidays.

He realised what Blaise had meant.

Gone were the dark circles under his eyes and the haunted, hollow look to his features. He'd put on some weight, and he looked better for it. His skin was still pale as always, but it looked glowing now, the greyish tinge had gone and his white-blonde hair looked healthy and soft, like it had some life in it.

Some of his old Malfoy vanity came surging back as he gazed at his reflection, looking more like his old self than he had in years.

He looked alive.

He felt alive.

He wondered vaguely how long it would last.


	8. Save Me

**Author's Notes: **Thank you Grenniffin for the lovely review, I really appreciated it :)

Also to everyone else reading along - please don't hate me for the start of this chapter - I feel bad for Draco too! It all gets better, I promise!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Save Me**

He woke up with a jolt, images of her naked body fading behind his eyes. She shouldn't be in his head at all anymore, but Merlin it had been four days since he'd had sex. That was the longest he'd gone in quite some time. He'd resisted giving himself any relief simply because when he tried images of her would rise unbidden to the front of his mind and he needed to get her out of his head.

The problem was it was so hard and he was so hard. His cock was throbbing so hard it actually hurt.

Unable to resist anymore he wrapped his hand around his rigid length, surrendering himself to memories of her lips and hands as he gave a few quick, short strokes that brought on his orgasm before he even had chance to breathe.

The high faded quickly and left him with that horrible sense of self-loathing coupled with a very desperate urge to repeat the experience. The high never lasted even half as long when he was doing it alone.

Needing a distraction he tried frantically to remind himself of why this was so wrong.

He was a Slytherin. A Malfoy. A Death Eater.

She was a filthy little Gryffindor.

Blood traitor.

Beautiful.

Alluring.

Fiery.

The muscles in his hips began to twitch dangerously and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the onslaught of images.

He had drowned himself in her presence. Submerged himself in everything that was her.

Now he needed to surface and he found he was deeper than he thought. He didn't know how to swim.

Literally or figuratively.

He rolled over and punched the pillow.

_Fucking filthy Gryffindor._

* * *

Three weeks.

Twenty one days.

Twenty one days of torture.

Twenty one days of not speaking to her, not touching her, not seeing her smile at him. She was doing as he had said and avoiding him at all costs. She didn't even sit in front of him in Ancient Runes anymore.

Twenty one days of telling himself that he must not give in, that he must not touch, that he must be strong. That he was a Malfoy and that he had to uphold the family honour.

What fucking honour?

He had spent his summer watching his father crumble before the Dark Lord, being stripped of his wand, being punished and ridiculed and scorned by everyone around him. His father who had always been so strong and so sure of himself. The one who had spent a lifetime teaching Draco that they were superior to everyone around them, that the Malfoys answered to no one, that their pure blood reigned supreme and made them untouchable.

Where the fuck was that man now?

What good were those beliefs if some crazed half blood madman could strip you of your magic with just one simple order?

"_Give me your wand."_

And his father had given it up, just like that.

_Coward._

Draco knew he'd have done the same in the face of that deranged red stare, but it didn't make it any easier to accept. Didn't make it any easier to forgive his father for shaking the foundations of everything he stood for and believed.

The thoughts tortured his days.

Nightmares robbed him of precious, life giving sleep.

He was sinking again, with nothing to distract him but Pansy's whining and the constant, mind-numbing conversation of his friends. The Dark Lord, the war, blood-traitors, mudbloods, pure-bloods.

Always blood.

Always back to blood, but Draco felt that he had none left anymore. No blood coursed through his veins. He was so pale that sometimes he thought he must surely be dead already.

He was sinking back into insanity.

* * *

By the Monday of the fourth week he knew he was done. Even Blaise, who never thought of anyone but himself, was starting to pester him about going to the Hospital Wing, but the Hospital Wing didn't have what he needed. He needed her.

One kiss.

One touch.

Life might be worth living again.

He dragged himself through till after lunch, and then, having once again eaten next to nothing, dragged himself up to Ancient Runes.

He didn't make it.

He was around the corner from the classroom when he felt his head swirl and his knees buckle. He lent against the wall for support, but his legs felt like jelly. With no other option he slid down the wall to the ground, resting his head in his arms and squeezing his eyes shut, willing himself to sink into unconsciousness. At least there would be some escape in the darkness.

"Draco." He roused himself for that voice, because it was the one voice he actually wanted to hear right now. It had been four weeks since she'd said his name and hearing it now was like a soothing balm that slipped into his ears and calmed his swirling thoughts.

_Madeleine._

He tried to say it out loud, but he couldn't seem to form any words.

He felt soft fingers on his face, pulling his head up so he was forced to look into her eyes. Calm, cool, collected – just a hint of concern?

"Can I just say, Draco, that you look like complete shit?"

At one time, that might have wounded his pride and inflamed his anger, but now he couldn't have agreed more. He did look like shit. Life was shit. Really it made no difference.

"You need to go to the Hospital Wing."

He shook his head at that, before pressing his cheek just a little further into those soft, soothing hands that were cupping his face. Merlin, it felt good. And his eyelids felt so heavy. He let them drop closed and welcomed the blackness into his mind.

"Yes, Draco. I don't know what the fuck you're playing at but it needs to stop."

He wasn't playing at anything. Why couldn't she see that? Why didn't she realise that he just needed her? Maybe she could save him from himself.

"I can't save you from yourself, Draco."

He jerked his eyes open at that. How had she known what he was thinking? The concern in those blue eyes was very obvious now, and he felt a weight clamp around his chest. If she couldn't save him, who could? How was he going to survive? Maybe he just didn't care anymore.

Defeated, he let his eyes drift shut again. Blackness engulfed him.

The last thing he heard was Madeleine's panicked shout.

* * *

He woke up in the Hospital Wing to the sound of someone crying and the voice of Professor Snape.

"I assure you, Narcissa, he was fine over Christmas, the picture of health."

Fuck, it was his mother crying.

He sat up quickly, but was immediately forced to subside as a wave of nausea washed over him, making him groan audibly. His mother obviously heard the noise because within seconds she was by his side, pulling him into her arms and sobbing down his neck.

Whilst his mother had always been more affectionate than his father, this was a sufficiently overly emotional display that Draco found himself jerking backwards in surprise before he'd thought about what he was doing.

"Mother, what are you doing?" His voice sounded raspy and unnatural, and the effort of speaking set him off coughing. His throat felt like sandpaper.

His mother managed to compose herself and pulled away as Madam Pomfrey hurried over.

"Awake at last, Malfoy," she said crisply, handing him a goblet of water. He drank it gratefully, trying to stop his hand from shaking. "You have given your mother quite a scare. It was lucky Madeleine found you when she did, otherwise things might have been a lot worse."

Draco frowned at this. What were they talking about, he'd just fainted, hadn't he?

Madam Pomfrey was now pushing another, gloopy looking potion into his hands. "Drink this. It will replenish some of the nutrients you've been missing. When did you last eat?"

Draco shrugged. He really couldn't remember. "Yesterday," he tried, just to put off drinking the disgusting looking potion a bit longer.

"No, Malfoy, you have been unconscious for three days and I mean a full meal. A proper full meal."

This time Draco really couldn't come up with an answer. He was too busy being surprised at the fact that he'd been unconscious for three days. How the hell had that happened?

"Draco?" His mother had suddenly taken his hand in hers and he could see tears threatening to fall from her eyes again. "When did you last eat properly?"

"I don't know," he snapped, pulling his hand from hers and taking a gulp of the potion to avoid looking at her expression. "A few weeks ago."

He pulled a face at the vileness of the potion and when he did glance over at his mother she was giving Madam Pomfrey a baleful stare.

"I entrusted my son to the care of this school. Why has he not been looked after properly?"

Draco could see Madam Pomfrey stiffen as she stirred yet another potion she was obviously intending to give him.

"I assure you that had Draco come and told me he was not feeling well I would have treated him immediately. As it is Mrs Malfoy there is nothing actually wrong with your son. He has tested negative for every known disease and ailment. I cannot force him to eat or sleep. He is of age and therefore theoretically perfectly capable of looking after himself. If he chooses to abuse his body then there is nothing I can do about it." She turned her eyes on Draco with a reproachful look. "Having said that, Malfoy, whilst you are here you will do as I say. You will drink that potion. You will drink this one too." She placed it by his bedside with no explanation as to what it might be. "And you will not leave here until I deem fit and when you do you will continue to take a sleeping potion each night until I say you can stop. Is that clear?"

The only good thing about her little speech in Draco's eyes was that it seemed to have replaced his mother's anger with concern, although it did mean she had once again clutched at his hand. He felt tired, all he wanted to do was sleep, but sleep meant nightmares and Draco could not face those right now.

Or ever.

"Dreamless sleep," he gasped, unaware that he had been going to say it until the words were out of his mouth.

"Pardon?" Madam Pomfrey bristled slightly, probably because he had not agreed to her terms.

"I'll take it if it's dreamless sleep."

Madam Pomfrey's pressed her lips together in a thin line. "It is not good to take that as a long term solution, Malfoy, however in the circumstances, yes. I will give you dreamless sleep. Now drink your potions. This one," she pointed to the one of the bedside cabinet, "Will solve your sleeping problems for now."

He could hear his mother crying quietly next to him as Madam Pomfrey walked away and to distract himself he gulped down the rest of the horrible potion in his hand before picking up the other goblet.

"Draco?" His mother sounded so plaintive that he looked at her. "I can't stay, Draco. I won't be here when you wake up."

"Mother, I'm fine. Please stop carrying on like this." It had come out more coldly than he intended it to, but he could see Professor Snape through the crack in the curtains around his bed and it embarrassed him that his mother was weeping all over him.

Just one more reason for Snape to think him a weak and foolish child.

"You nearly died!" His mother sounded as if she was on the edge of hysteria for a moment and Draco looked at her in alarm, tightening his fingers around hers for the first time. The gesture seemed to calm her, but Draco could feel his heart beat ramping up a notch.

He'd been that bad? Was she exaggerating or was it really true?

"That girl who found you saved your life." She was speaking more quietly now, more composedly, though there were still tears shining in her eyes.

"Madeleine?"

"Yes."

She was the fucking reason he was in this mess in the first place.

"Filthy fucking blood traitor," he spat before he could stop himself. His mother actually looked troubled by his outburst, staring straight into his eyes for one horrible moment before she hung her head.

"She saved your life, Draco," she said quietly.

Draco stared at the potion in his hand, completely bewildered and for one mortifying second feeling tears spring to his eyes that threatened to fall. For that one horrible moment when his eyes had met his mothers she'd looked at him like he was a stranger. Like she didn't know who he was anymore. Like she didn't recognise her own son.

That look tore at Draco's heartstrings.

"Do you want to come home at Easter?" Her voice had the same coldness his had earlier. She went to remove her hand from his, but Draco clutched on to her fingers and said, "No," much more quickly and more loudly than he had been intending. As soon as he had said it, he realised that she might take it the wrong way. Might think that he didn't want to see her.

"I miss you," he said quietly, wondering what had compelled him to say it and wincing as the words left his mouth. His mother's recent actions aside, Malfoys did not go in for sentimental outpourings of emotion.

The words seemed to have a profound effect on his mother, who gripped his hand all the tighter. When he looked over at her this time the coldness was gone and the concern was back.

"You can stay, but promise me you will look after yourself properly, Draco. Promise me!"

He nodded. He didn't particularly trust his voice at the moment, and he was worried that if he spoke his barely held back tears would be unleashed.

"All right. I'm sorry, Draco, but I have to go." He nodded again. He knew why. The Dark Lord did not like his followers to be out of his control for too long, even those who did not have the mark.

"Goodbye, Draco." She pulled him into a hug, which this time he returned, at least with the arm not occupied holding his potion goblet.

He watched her leave, and heard her talking to Snape too quietly for him to catch the words on the way out, then he sat then for a while, even more tortuous thoughts swirling around his head.

How had he got himself to the point where he had nearly died?

He was pretty sure now he thought about it that his mother had not been exaggerating. He hadn't really felt alive. Not since Christmas.

Not since Madeleine.

_"I don't know what the fuck you're playing at but it needs to stop"_

She was right, he realised. He didn't want to die and she couldn't save him from himself.

_Maybe she could help._

He silenced the treacherous voice by drinking down his second potion as quickly as he could, almost choking as a result, but feeling the sleeping draught in it almost instantly take effect.

Filthy fucking blood traitor had already saved his life once.

He'd have to do this one on his own.

* * *

A week, an entire week! That's how long she'd kept him locked up in that Hospital Wing, practically force feeding him potions and meals until she deemed that he'd put back on enough weight and was healthy enough to be released. She'd let his friends come to visit him after the first day, although that wasn't necessarily an improvement. Pansy had bored him senseless, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't get away to talk vapidly at him for hours on end. Blaise and Theo had been a slight step up from that when they had actually deigned to stop by, bringing him homework, which at least gave him something to do, and news marginally more interesting than Pansy's.

Both though mentioned that apparently there was going to be a Valentine's Ball. This was extremely odd news, which Draco cynically put down to some bizarre scheme to get the pure-bloods of Hogwarts to interbreed, though whether that was true or not he didn't know. Blaise and Theo had felt it prudent to warn him that Pansy was angling for an invitation from him.

He'd probably have to ask her, he thought regretfully. To ask any other Slytherin would cause too much friction that he really didn't want to deal with, and there was no way he could ask anyone from a different house.

Not Madeleine.

She was still invading his thoughts during the day, though blessed relief came at night in the form of the dreamless sleep potions Madam Pomfrey was providing. The thoughts were more manageable now. He no longer felt like he was drowning, but he still longer for her touch as much as ever.

He constantly reminded himself of what she was. Constantly tried to keep his mind occupied with homework and reading and anything else he could think of.

He hadn't seen her all week.

By the end of it he was practically climbing the walls.

* * *

Draco knew that his enforced stay in the Hospital Wing had meant Quidditch practises hadn't resumed as soon as they should and with their match against Hufflepuff fast approaching Draco had insisted that his team got the most time on the Quidditch pitch, particularly as he needed to whip his Chasers into much better shape if they weren't going to completely rely on him to win the match for them.

The advantage to filling most of his time with Quidditch practise was that it meant he had something to do with his time other than sit and think about Madeleine. And his mother.

That look she had given him was haunting his days, bringing up many unanswerable questions that Draco tried to force down. He couldn't face them. His life was spiralling out of his control and all he could do was watch from the sidelines and try to force some sense of normality from it. Some days he was more successful than others.

He slept. He ate. He went to classes. He played Quidditch. He survived.

He wanted to live.

The day he had come out of the Hospital Wing Madeleine had given him a smile of such utter relief that Draco had barely been able to stand it. He hadn't smiled back. In retrospect that had probably been a mistake because she had barely bothered to look at him since and that bothered him.

It shouldn't. But it did.

Fucking idiotic Gryffindor messing up his life again.

He thought about this as he drifted around on his broom after their Thursday night Quidditch practise. The match was Saturday and Draco was actually quite looking forward to it. Weekends were the worse times for him. With no classes to distract him his thoughts became more chaotic and without the dreamless sleep potion that Madam Pomfrey was still reluctantly giving to him he certainly wouldn't have been able to get through the nights.

As it was he was just about coping. His promise to his mother, Madeleine's words and sheer bloody force of will making him determined that he would cope no matter what.

He frowned a little to himself as he drifted aimlessly over the empty stands. Exactly why was he bothering, he wondered? It wasn't like there was anything spectacular in his life to bother for. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts away he dived back down to the ground, deciding that it was probably about time he went and drowned himself in the shower again.

He stuck his broomstick away in the shed and stepped back into the changing rooms, freezing at the sight that met his eyes.

Madeleine.

Looking right at him with those ridiculously blue eyes.

"Hello, Draco." She tilted her head to one side, but Draco noticed she looked more reserved than usual, as if she was holding even more back from him today. It made his stomach twist in a way he was pretty sure wasn't normal.

"What are you doing here?" he asked warily, taking a step closer to her, in spite of the voice in his head telling him he shouldn't. She didn't move from her position by the door to the shower room.

"Friendly as ever," she commented lightly, "At least you look better than the last time we spoke."

Draco gave a growl of frustration, stalked across the room towards her and grabbed her hips with both hands, pulling her against him and crushing his lips into hers as they slammed into the wall behind. She responded immediately, kissing back with equal force, arms entwining around his neck to hold his head in place, groaning into the kiss as he ground his body into hers, trying to get as close as physically possible whilst wearing clothes.

"Feeling better then?" she gasped when he finally broke the kiss and looked at her searchingly. She was back, he noticed. Her eyes sparkling in amusement as she stared up at him.

"Fucking fantastic now," he growled, releasing his hold on her and stepping back to give her a wicked smirk. "I'm getting in the shower."

He walked into the shower room and started to strip, really hoping that she would get the hint and, more importantly, be willing to take it.

He turned on the water and stepped into the shower cubicle, feeling a little less hopeful. He hadn't heard any sounds from the changing area since he had stepped in here and he was beginning to wonder whether she would come at all. He upturned his face into the water stream and closed his eyes – if she didn't come, what the hell was he going to do?

"Still trying to drown yourself I see."

Draco tried not to let out a sigh of relief as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He turned, grabbed her hips again and pushed her roughly against the cubicle wall, resuming their earlier heated kisses. Already he was incredibly turned on, his cock throbbing painfully as it slid between their wet bodies, over a month of ignoring his urges making it impossible for it to be otherwise.

He hoisted Madeleine in the air, steadying her against the slippery wall so he could lick and suck at her breasts, the warm water cascading over her skin and around his lips adding a new thrill to what was already a pleasurable experience. He teased her nipples until she was whimpering into his hair, digging her fingernails into his shoulders so hard that he thought she would soon draw blood. He didn't care, the pain made him feel alive.

"Please, Draco." He knew what she wanted, but he didn't trust himself. Not now. They hadn't done this for too long.

Instead he set her down and let his hand slip between her thighs, cupping the warmth there as she looked at him with wide, startled eyes. He'd never done this, he realised. In all the times he'd fucked her he'd never once put his fingers inside her, or touched her clit, or anything like that.

_Fuck._

He was far too used to just thinking of his own pleasure.

He felt her grind against his hand and he slipped one finger between her folds, pushing it inside her, unable to help the quiet moan that fell from his lips. Merlin, she was so wet, and it wasn't just water from the shower. His hips jerked involuntarily and he knew he'd been right to wait. He was never going to last once he buried himself inside her.

He added a second finger quickly and pushed them in deep, smirking as he felt them graze against that sensitive spot causing her to grind her hips downwards onto his hand. Far too desperate to tease today he began working his fingers in and out, twisting and curling them as he did to hit that spot again and again, until she was writhing against his hand.

"More, Draco." Her mouth had latched on to the base of his neck, biting and sucking at the skin as the water poured down over his shoulders. He adjusted the angle of his hand, allowing his thumb to come up and rub against her clit, smirking again as she groaned into his neck and pushed herself harder against his hand. He wanted her as close as possible before he fucked her, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could wait.

"Fuck me, Draco." She had grabbed at his face, forcing him to look her in the eyes and now actually trying to move her hips away from his hand so he could replace them with something else. "Right now."

Forget waiting. He couldn't do it.

With a growl he removed his hand, immediately grabbing her and lifting her in the air, letting her guide him to her entrance before he pulled her down, forcing his whole length inside her in one stroke.

"Fuck!" Her head arched back as she clamped her legs tight around his waist and used the leverage to start rolling her hips against his. "I'd forgotten how fucking good you feel."

He'd forgotten just how much her filthy language turned him on.

Filthy little Gryffindor.

He trailed kisses over her neck as he started thrusting inside her, starting hard and fast and only increasing his rhythm as her panting moans told him just how close she was. He bit his lip in a desperate bid to stave off his own fast approaching release and looked up at her, wanting to see her face when she came. It had been too long.

Her muscles clenched around him, her whole body going rigid in his arms as she let out a yell of pure ecstasy, eyes wide, head thrown back, before she was rolling her hips against his again, muscles pulsating around him as her pleasure washed through her. It was all he needed to push him over the edge, his eyes dropping shut as he felt Madeleine clutch at his face, swallowing his moans in heated, messy kisses as he released himself inside her and finally let a much needed orgasm overtake his body.

"Shit!" With the breath-taking high fading, Draco felt his muscles weakening and he was forced to clutch Madeleine tighter, leaning into the wall as his legs gave out and they collapsed laughing to the floor, Madeleine immediately pushing him down onto his back and kissing him giddily until they were forced to pull apart before they drowned in the steady flow of water streaming around their faces.

"Definitely better now," Draco said, raising one eyebrow as he eased them back into a sitting position under the spray, still holding her close. "Why did we stop doing this again?"

Madeleine tilted her head to one side and then leant her forehead on his. "Filthy little Gryffindor blood traitor remember?"

Draco sniggered. When she said it, it just sounded like a collection of inconsequential words that she was stringing into a sentence.

"And maybe the fact that you have this on your arm." It was the first time either of them had acknowledged the tattoo branded onto his skin and Draco winced as she grabbed his wrist and forced his arm between them so they were looking down on it.

He realised he hated it.

Oh he'd disliked it before now of course. He regretted that he'd ever gone through with it, wished life had worked out differently, hoped that it would all go away, but he'd never quite despised it so much as he did right now in this moment. He twisted his wrist out of her grip and wrapped his arm behind her back again out of sight.

"Shit happens," he muttered, "I told you my life was fucked up."

"That's why you tried to kill yourself is it?" she asked mildly, as if this was of very little consequence.

"I did not try and kill myself," he snapped, "It wasn't intentional." He didn't know why it irritated him so much that she thought that. "Is this how it works now? We fuck and then you give me a lecture about my life?"

"Shit happens, Draco." She gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and went to stand up. "If the fucking part is worth the lecture, you should meet me tonight." She stopped on the edge of the cubicle and smirked at him. "See you later, Draco."

_Arrogant Gryffindor._

He narrowed his eyes at her retreating back and then stood up, reaching for the shampoo to clean his hair.

It slightly annoyed him that her arrogance was not misplaced. He would definitely see her later.

* * *

McGonagall had definitely noticed the dark shadows under his eyes at breakfast the next day. Since his trip to the Hospital Wing the old bag seemed to have made it her personal mission to make sure he was carrying out Madam Pomfrey's orders. He didn't fool himself into thinking she cared, more likely she didn't want his mother making any more complaints.

It was true he hadn't drunk his potion last night. There hadn't really been enough time after he had left the Room and instead he'd settled for climbing into his bed still wearing his shirt. He'd still had it on the first time they'd fucked that evening and enough of Madeleine's scent lingered on it that it soothed him into a nightmare free sleep.

It was the first time he'd dreamed in a long time.

He had made an extra effort to appear normal in McGonagall's lesson later that day, sitting up a little straighter and joining in with Blaise's sneering comments when the Hufflepuff girl in front managed to explode her toad and cover half the class in its insides. McGonagall had cleaned it all up with a wave of her wand, but Draco had still stopped off to change his robes afterwards.

Since it was the Quidditch Match the next day he did take his potion that night anyway, drinking it discretely behind his closed curtains after everyone had gone to bed. He still hadn't told anyone he was taking it, and he still put up his silencing charms each night. Showing weakness in his House was not an option. Especially not for a Malfoy.


	9. Something Spectacular

**Author's Notes: **Thank you all for reading along, I've really enjoyed writing this story.

There is more, or at least there could be more, but I'm not sure whether to carry on past this point. I think this chapter gives some closure on the story, but there is much more plot I could go on with even if only parts of it are written. There's Madeleine's family for one thing, I can't believe no one has mentioned why she got so wound up when it was suggested her parents might be Death Eaters, or commented on how she's a little bit weird about them. Maybe I didn't emphasise it enough! :D

So there is more, but the question is would more ruin the story I've written so far and the closure that this chapter brings? Let me know what you think. I could continue or there could be a sequel or this could be it.

In the meantime, I'm going to shamelessly pimp my other Draco/OC stories. If you liked this you should really go read Take Me There, or Frozen. (The latter is nothing to do with the crazy-popular film, I assure you.)

* * *

**Chapter 9: Something Spectacular**

By the time Monday rolled around again Draco was actually feeling better about his life. Nothing spectacular, but at least something that was better than nothing.

Madeleine was acknowledging he existed again, with sly smirks whenever no one was looking.

He'd caught the snitch and won them the match against Hufflepuff.

Two good things in his life. He was resolutely ignoring the significance of their order in his thoughts.

In his afternoon free period he had taken out the cloak his mother had bought him for Christmas, deciding that its imbued warming charm was worth the overtones of Death Eater about the thing and put it on before grabbing a book and heading out to the courtyard where he climbed up into what had previous been his favourite seat out here, cradled in the branch of one of the trees. He hadn't sat here since fifth year, but for some reason he felt like doing so today

With the hood pulled up around his face he settled back to read his book of choice. It was 'Hogwarts, A History'. He'd never actually read it and he'd decided it was about time he actually did. The decision had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he'd seen Madeleine reading it the day before.

"Interesting cloak." He'd only been reading for about twenty minutes, although since the interruption came in the form of Madeleine, staring up at him from under her own hooded blue cloak he didn't mind too much. He took a quick glance around the courtyard, pretty sure she would have checked herself before coming to speak to him, but wanting to double check.

No one in sight. Excellent.

He grinned down at her.

"I am well aware what you are implying," he smirked, "We can't all go around in cutesy blue cloaks. Some of us don't have the colouring for it." Actually he was well aware that black emphasised the paleness of his skin, but now that it actually looked healthier it was pretty much what he was going for.

"Oh I don't know, I think blue would quite suit you." She was smirking back at him and he didn't take her seriously. "Interesting choice of reading material as well. I'm reading that at the moment."

Damn it! Not only had she noticed she was also obviously well aware of why he was reading it. He tried not to let his cheeks colour.

"I can recommend some more if you like."

"Fine." Draco tried to appear as disinterested in that idea as possible, and added sharply, "None of that muggle shit though."

Madeleine laughed, "No muggle shit," she agreed and walked away.

He found himself looking after her, half perplexed and half amused by the fact that nothing he said ever seemed to get a rise out of her. Why the hell was that?

_Intriguing._

He turned back to his book, only to be interrupted again thirty seconds later. The interruption this time was far less welcome and Pansy found herself on the receiving end of an impatient glare.

"What?" he snapped, "I'm trying to read."

"Why was she talking to ou?" Pansy did not look too impressed and Draco realised she had obviously seen him with Madeleine.

"Who?" Temporarily without an excuse he took refuge in ignorance.

"That Gryffindor slut," Pansy spat, looking at him furiously and clenching her fists, "Thinking of taking her to the ball are you? Forgotten that she's a filthy little blood traitor have you?"

Draco tried to ignore the fact that her insults made him want to recant on his 'no physical violence towards women' idea and instead settled for arranging his features into a carefully neutral expression.

"Actually I was going to ask you, Pansy."

"Oh." That seemed to have completely floored her, for she rocked on her heels a little, expression clearing as his statement sunk in. "Right,"

"So are you going to come with me?" This was painful. Actually painful. Pansy was the last woman he wanted to go anywhere with and judging by her now delighted expression he was going to be paying the price for this invitation for a very long time.

"Of course, Draco." Oh Merlin, she was actually reaching up to try and take his hand. He pulled away without thinking and regarded her haughtily. He knew it wouldn't put her off, for some bizarre reason the girl just seemed to think he was playing hard to get, instead of trying to shake her off completely. "Oh I'm so happy, Draco." She squinted off in the direction Madeleine had departed in and added, "You know, she was probably talking to you in the hope that you'd ask her."

"What?" That last part had completely thrown Draco, where the hell would Pansy even come up with that idea?

"Well you know, with her being a pure blood and thinking she's so attractive and you being the most eligible man in the school. She probably thought you'd ask her." Draco gave a scornful laugh. This was Pansy's weird way of trying to massage his ego, but to be honest it just made her look stupid.

"I seriously doubt that." At least that wasn't a lie.

"Well I'm sure if you had Terry would have been devastated."

"What?" Draco felt himself grow paler and his stomach suddenly twisted itself into knots. Luckily Pansy didn't seem to notice.

"Terry Boot. He already asked her and she said yes." She grinned up at him slyly. "I'm sure she would have dumped him if you'd asked her, Draco."

"I have no desire to go to the ball with a Gryffindor. Much less a filthy little blood traitor like her," Draco spat, taking his anger at this news out on Pansy as her simpering smile only served to infuriate him more. "Now if you don't mind I've got some homework I need to do."

He jumped down from the tree and stalked off before Pansy could even respond.

In the safety of his dormitory he relieved his feelings by throwing his book at the wall and cursing as loudly as he could.

Fucking Terry Boot? What the hell was she doing going to the ball with fucking Terry Boot? He was a loser! An imbecile! A…

Draco realised he didn't even know who the fuck Terry Boot was.

He resolved to find out.

* * *

By the next day he had found out that Terry Boot was a seventh year Ravenclaw. A Ravenclaw who had a dreadful day as his cauldron mysteriously exploded in potions, his shoelaces kept untying themselves and his bag split at the seams between lessons. Twice.

By evening Draco felt better, although he was not foolish enough to repeat the process the next day. Madeleine was not as stupid as Pansy. She would definitely cotton on.

It didn't make him any less angry though and whilst he was willing to concede that Madeleine had every right to go to the ball with someone, he just wished she'd picked some dumb Hufflepuff lout, instead of a rather handsome Ravenclaw with a charming smile.

A tiny part of him acknowledged that he'd even be mad about the Hufflepuff.

* * *

He was no less angry about it by Thursday and had mostly resorted to expressing this by giving both Terry and Madeleine contemptuous glares every time he had seen them. Terry probably hadn't noticed anything unusual, since Draco was well known for giving plenty of people contemptuous looks just because he felt like it, but Madeleine definitely had. That was probably why after Ancient Runes she dragged him into a deserted classroom and stared at him neutrally with her arms folded until he cracked.

"So I hear you're going to the ball with Terry Boot," Draco spat, unable to stand the look she was giving him any longer, or the tension that he could practically feel crackling around the room.

"Yes." Madeleine, looked at the ceiling. "You have a problem with that." It wasn't a question.

"I just don't see why you decided to go with that loser."

"You're going with Pansy Parkinson. I don't really see the appeal in her either."

Draco snorted disdainfully. "There is no appeal in Pansy Parkinson."

"Why are you going with her then?" Madeleine was smirking now, as if this was rather funny.

"Who else am I going to go with?" he snapped, annoyed even more that she wasn't taking it seriously. "Why the fuck are you going with Terry Boot of all people?"

"Who else am I going to go with?" She subjected him to a smug smile to go with that one. Damn it! How did she always do this?

"I don't fucking know! Someone who isn't Terry Sodding Boot!" This was getting him angrier by the second.

"Why are you so angry about it?" As if she didn't know!

Draco snarled viciously and took a step closer to her, unsure whether he wanted to kiss her or shake her at this point.

"I don't share," he growled.

To his surprise, that actually got a reaction. Madeleine gave a snarl of her own, grabbed the front of his robes and with surprising strength slammed him against the wall.

"Neither do I Draco Malfoy and unlike you I haven't fucked my date before."

Then she was gone, leaving him staring after her in horror and feeling even less happy about the whole thing than previously.

"_I haven't fucked my date before."_

What about after?

* * *

The nearer it got to the ball the more Draco's skin started to crawl. Not only was he going to have to put up with Pansy all evening, but he was also going to have to watch Madeleine being fawned over by some idiot Ravenclaw.

Some idiot Ravenclaw who was actually allowed to touch her in public without condemning himself to torture, and quite possibly death.

An idiot who might actually be handsome and clever and funny and so blatantly not a Death Eater that Madeleine would fall for him and put a stop to whatever the hell it was that was going on between them.

Fuck!

Draco kicked his trunk to relieve his feelings and stormed down the stairs to where the others were waiting. Pansy immediately attached herself to his arm. She was wearing another of her hideous pink numbers Draco noted with a grimace.

He was somewhat relieved when they arrived in the Entrance Hall and Pansy actually deigned to detach herself from his arm and go into a huddle with her little Slytherin girl gang, quite probably to bitch amongst themselves about everyone else's outfits.

Draco glanced casually around the Entrance Hall at some of the others standing there waiting for their dates from other houses to arrive and felt his heart skip a beat.

_Madeleine._

She was always beautiful, but tonight he would have sworn under Veritaserum that she was part veela, in spite of her colouring. Her hair was swept up into an elaborate twist on top of her head, her eyes shone, her skin glowed, her lips were curved into a slight smile as she stood with the Weasley girl, outshining her by a mile. When she took a step forwards her blue dress moved like liquid silk, bringing out the colour in her eyes and showing off her shapely curves to perfection.

She looked too perfect to be true.

"Such a waste." He had stared at her for too long, Blaise had stepped up besides him and noticed.

"Hmm?" he asked, unwilling to tear his eyes away, especially now he could see Terry Boot making his way towards her. He gave her a chaste peck on the cheek which still made Draco's blood boil, and then very probably told her how beautiful she looked, judging by the way she smiled at him. Whatever he'd said, Draco was sure it wasn't enough.

"That Gryffindor girl. Such a waste. Almost makes me want to lift my rule on blood traitors." He glanced at Draco with a smirk. "And I don't think I'm the only one, am I?"

"What?" Draco snapped, his eyes still on Madeleine as she took Terry's offered arm.

"Might want to stop staring now mate, Pansy's coming." Apart from anything else Blaise so rarely used the word mate that it at least got Draco's attention long enough for him to process the rest of his words and whip his head round just as Pansy sidled up to him and attached herself to his arm again.

"Shall we go in, Draco?" she cooed, leaving him no choice but to roll his eyes at Blaise and escort her inside, feeling his friend following behind with his date – a pretty little Slytherin fifth year that he hadn't actually managed to bed yet.

His eyes swept the room as they entered, the Great Hall had been decked out with the usual tacky decorations, made even worse this time by the abundance of pink and red that seemed to surround them on all sides. It was oppressive and Draco very much wished he could just run back to his dormitory and hide until this was over.

He caught Madeleine's eye and felt that familiar knot in his stomach when all he got was a scornful glare.

Apparently he wasn't forgiven.

* * *

Two hours later Draco was finding it very difficult indeed to keep up the charade. Blaise had twice more saved him from being caught staring at Madeleine by Pansy and Draco knew that the other man was starting to get suspicious. The problem was he couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Fucking Terry Boot.

They seemed to be getting along far too well for his comfort: drinking, talking, laughing, dancing.

The dancing had been the worst part. Like all good little rich pure-blood girls and boys Madeleine had clearly been taught how to dance properly. She floated over the dance floor with effortless grace. The problem was that Terry didn't and he was holding her far too close and his hands were dipping far too low for Draco's liking. Not so low as yet as to make a scene about it, but certainly getting very near the danger zone.

In the end Draco had caved into Pansy's constant requests to dance and had taken her onto the dance floor. He could dance. Technically so could she. She knew the steps and how to put them together; she just had all the grace and coordination of a rhinoceros. He'd have given anything to be dancing with Madeleine right then.

As soon as he'd seen Madeleine sitting down he'd dragged Pansy off the dance floor, in spite of her protests and parked her with her little girl gang before he went to sit with Theo, Crabbe and Goyle. None of them had apparently bothered to bring a date with them, and Draco thought they were probably having a much better time that he was.

He managed to sit with them for about half an hour, thankful that Pansy had become distracted by whatever the latest gossip was amongst her little gang, before he realised his luck had run out. She was looking for him. He groaned and signalled desperately to Theo, that he needed to get out of here. To his friend's infinite credit he did actually head off to intercept Pansy before she reached the table and to the sound of Crabbe and Goyle's derisive laughter he fled for the garden.

He sucked in a lungful of the cool night air thankfully, making his way past the tinkling fountain to the paths he had last trodden on New Years Eve. Automatically he found his feet taking him back to the place where he and Madeleine had stood holding hands and watching the fireworks light up the night sky. The memory stirred something inside him, though he could not have put a name to the feeling.

Regret?

Longing?

He stepped through the gap in the bushes and stopped short, someone was already here.

"Who is it?" came a voice from the shadows.

It was her.

What if Terry was with her? Repulsed by the idea of finding them together he took a step backwards, just as Madeleine lit her wand, revealing herself to be alone.

She took one look at him, put out her wand and grabbed his arm, pulling him back through the gap.

"Managed to get away from your date have you?" she said when he was safely through. His eyes were having some trouble adjusting to the dim lighting, but slowly she was coming into focus. A vision of untouchable perfection standing just a few feet away. He felt his heartbeat ramp up a notch.

"I can't see yours anywhere around," he shot back, realising she was waiting for an answer.

"I just needed some fresh air," she said lightly.

"Not annoying you then?" Draco couldn't resist the jibe.

"He's very nice." Madeleine lifted her chin defiantly, though her expression did not lose its usual serenity,

"He can't dance," said Draco, folding his arms and looking at her levelly, "And he needs to remember where to keep his hands." He had thought the second point would get a reaction, but though he thought he saw a slight flicker in her eyes there was nothing else.

"Did you come out here to insult my date?" Madeleine said, and Draco was sure he wasn't imagining that her voice sounded just a bit colder than it had before. "Because unless you've got something nice to say you should just leave."

Draco sniggered, about to come back with a sharp retort when he realised something. She was here. She was stunningly beautiful. More beautiful than anyone he'd ever seen in his life. He didn't give a shit about Terry Boot right now.

"You look incredibly beautiful tonight," he said softly.

The change that came over her expression made those words worthwhile. Her face melted into the most heart-breakingly beautiful smile Draco had ever seen and he realised he'd been stupid never to tell her this before. She was beautiful. She needed to be told everyday.

"You always look beautiful," he said ruefully, drawing her to him so he could wind his arm around her waist. She tilted her head up to him, lips parted slightly, a slight flush creeping over her cheeks that he thought might be a response to his words.

Perfect.

Suddenly it didn't matter that the whole school was far too close. It didn't matter that any one of a number of people could catch them. He wanted to kiss her.

He leaned down and captured her lips gently, kissing softly before he pulled away, eyes still closed, heart beating fast.

"Madeleine," he whispered softly. He had nothing to say, he just wanted to hear her name.

Her hand crept up to tangle in his hair and their lips met in another kiss, more intense this time but no less tender.

He brought up his hand to cup her cheek possessively and deepened the kisses further. He was getting way too carried away, but he didn't really care.

It had never felt this good to just kiss anyone before.

Let the world crash and burn around them. It didn't matter anymore. Not whilst he was with her.

A sudden light assaulted his eyes, even through closed lids and he jerked away in surprise, raising his hand, even as the owner of the lit wand lowered it and he was able to see who was holding it.

McGonagall. Interfering old bat!

He was less annoyed at being caught and more annoyed at the fact that she'd interrupted what had been the best kiss he and Madeleine had ever shared.

"Madeleine!" McGonagall looked completely scandalised at who she'd just caught her little Gryffindor girl kissing and for once Madeleine didn't look at all composed. She blushed bright red and muttered, "Sorry, Professor," before she made a run for it, leaving Draco looking after her in bemusement and vaguely wondering how she could run in such high heels.

"Malfoy!" With Madeleine gone, McGonagall had turned to him with an equally scandalised expression. Draco found himself smirking.

"The problem with this school," he drawled, "Is that there's no fucking privacy."

Before she could speak he stalked off, ignoring her when she called his name. He very much doubted she was going to make a scene about what she had just witnessed in front of the whole school.

Inside the Great Hall he had a split second to notice that Madeleine had returned to Terry and was now looking back to her usual calm self – if a bit more flushed than normal – before Pansy flung herself on him demanding to know where he'd been.

"I just went for some fresh air," he lied, making a half-hearted attempt to push her away as his eyes roamed the rest of the Hall. McGonagall had arrived now and had gone to talk to Professor Slughorn, giving him some very disconcerted looks as she did so. Draco wondered whether she was actually telling Slughorn what she'd witnessed or whether she was just talking about him in general.

"Who're you looking at?" demanded Pansy jealously, following his gaze. Draco was glad he was only looking at the two Professors as Pansy turned back to him looking confused. She could hardly accuse him of anything when they were the ones in his eye line.

"Oh, nothing," he said causally, dragging his eyes back to her and finding that right now she was the last thing he wanted to look at. "Why don't you sit down and I'll get us some drinks. Look Blaise is over there." He pointed to where the black boy was sitting with his date, looking condescendingly at a group of giggling Ravenclaw girls. "I'll be right back."

Pansy didn't look at all happy about being abandoned, but did as he had said as he slipped away to get the drinks, figuring that he better had do now he'd used it as an excuse.

Unfortunately it was not an excuse which lasted very long, though it did give him the opportunity to make eye contact with Madeleine, who at least had the grace to look apologetic for running off and he noticed, moved her arm away when Terry tried to rest his hand there.

Slightly mollified Draco returned to Pansy and the others with drinks, and resigned himself to a long boring rant from Pansy about the faults of every other girl in the room. He listened with half an ear, rousing himself only when she reached Madeleine, who was now back on the dance floor with Terry.

She got out one, rather stupid insult about Madeleine's hair when Draco realised he really could not put up with listening to it and in desperation invited her to dance. It was a decision he regretted as soon as they reached the dance floor but by then it was too late to do anything about it.

The best Draco could do was keep them dancing near Madeleine, shooting brief glances in her direction whenever he could. It was difficult to catch her eye, but he did very much catch Terry's hands wandering much too far south again and Madeleine being forced to constantly correct his grip in order to avoid being groped

By the third time Draco could quite happily have hexed him, but he was well aware that Madeleine would probably not approve so he settled for bumping very violently into him the next time he got near enough and shooting him a murderous look when Terry turned to see who had nearly knocked him over.

After that Madeleine had dragged him off the dance floor and Draco had whisked Pansy back to her seat, despite her protests that the next song was her favourite. When he glanced over, he noticed both Slughorn and McGonagall were watching him very closely.

It was too late to do anything about that.

By eleven o'clock Terry was leaning very close to Madeleine and Draco was horrified to see that she was not leaning away. That Pansy was submitting him to similar treatment was not lost on him, but he was very definitely doing his best to avoid her at all costs, and he was certainly not letting her touch his arm. At least no more than he could physically help it. The girl seemed to have her hands everywhere at once, including his leg, which he quickly moved out of her reach.

When he looked back Terry and Madeleine were gone.

Fuck!

Draco shot up out of his chair, startling Pansy so much that she nearly fell off hers.

"What's wrong, Draco?" she cooed, trying to put an arm around him. He shook her off impatiently.

"It's quite hot in here isn't it?" he said, saying the first thing that came to mind, "I'm going to get some fresh air."

"I'll come with you," Pansy started to say behind him, but he'd already bolted for the door.

Outside he hid behind a statue until Pansy had gone past, doubled back and entered one of the side doors to the castle. He couldn't wander around outside, not when he could potentially meet Madeleine and Terry around every corner. Who knew what they were doing?

A lead weight seemed to settle in his stomach at this thought and he berated himself for caring at all.

He had limited options. He wasn't going to go back inside the Hall and face Pansy again. He definitely didn't want to go to the common room where she might find him and he had far too much adrenalin running through his veins to even consider bed.

With no other options available he set off for the Room. At least Pansy wouldn't be there.

By the time he had stepped through the door he had worked himself up into such a state with thoughts of what Terry might be doing to Madeleine that at first he didn't notice there was music playing. Only after he had sworn very loudly indeed did the notes of the waltz penetrate through to his brain and he stopped dead, turning to see Madeleine standing besides an old gramophone and smiling at him.

"Hello, Draco."

He gaped at her, before finally managing to say, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you." Relief swept through him and the lead weight seemed to vanish from his stomach. He had thought for one brief, crazy moment that she'd actually brought Terry here with her. Relief swept away most of his anger. Most – not all.

"What happened to Terry?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Madeleine shrugged, "I ran off."

"You two looked very cosy together." He wasn't about to let this drop so easily. Madeleine though simply smirked.

"I might have led him on a bit in order to create the opportunity to run off." She held out her hand. "So are you going to ask me to dance?"

Draco tapped his foot on the floor and looked at the ceiling. His anger hadn't quite run its course just yet.

"What makes you think I want to dance with you?" he asked irritably.

"Oh I don't know. It's just a feeling I'm getting," she said airily.

Bloody arrogant Gryffindor!

"I don't dance…" he began, but she cut him off.

"…with filthy Gryffindor blood traitors," she finished, "I know. You mentioned it before."

There it was again. Just a collection of meaningless words on her tongue. He smirked at her.

"Actually I was going to say I don't dance with other people's dates."

"Oh well." Madeleine walked towards him, taking his hand and drawing him unresistingly into the middle of the floor, smiling that alluring smile. "In that case Draco Malfoy, will you be my date?"

"I thought you already had one," he said, smirking as they took hold of each other in the proper stance.

"He was boring," Madeleine said lightly, "And he kept trying to feel my ass. I'm hoping you'll be more gentlemanly than that."

"Of course," said Draco smugly, pulling her just a little bit closer as the next song started. It was a Vienesse Waltz tune, his favourite type of dance. "Very well Madeline Cardon I will be your date to this dance." He leant down and brushed his lips lightly over hers before starting to lead her round the floor.

They whirled and twirled their way around the empty space, Madeleine following his lead as gracefully and elegantly as he had known she would, smiling enchantingly at him the entire time and making him feel like she was the whole world.

This was it he realised.

This was the something spectacular that made life worth living.


End file.
